Gaya: As counting of votes for the Bihar Assembly elections began on Friday morning, Gaya District Magistrate Shashank Shubhankar said all arrangements were in place and that victory rallies were strictly prohibited under the Model Code of Conduct.

“All preparations have been made. There is a complete ban on victory rallies as the model code remains in force. Sufficient security has been deployed, and the process is being conducted transparently,” Shubhankar told reporters.

Gaya Senior Superintendent of Police Anand Kumar said a three-tier security setup had been established around counting centres, with Central Armed Police Forces deployed at all entry points and sensitive areas. Around 200 personnel are engaged in continuous patrolling, supported by 10 motorcycle quick response teams across the city and nearby areas.

“Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been imposed, prohibiting unnecessary gatherings of more than four people. Our district control room is monitoring the situation, and the atmosphere remains peaceful,” Kumar said.

Counting began at 8 am amid tight security for all 243 Assembly constituencies. Officials first took up postal ballots, followed by EVM vote tallying at 8:30 am.

According to election officials, 4,372 counting tables and over 18,000 counting agents are engaged in the process. Most exit polls have predicted a comfortable win for the NDA, though some suggest the Mahagathbandhan could pose a close contest.

With inputs from ANI