New Delhi: As vote counting kicked off on Monday morning for the Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry, preparations shifted into high gear at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in New Delhi. With party workers and supporters expected to stream in through the day, large-scale food arrangements were put in place well before dawn. 

Alongside the high-stakes counting across 823 constituencies, including seven Assembly bypolls in five states, the BJP headquarters saw an early flurry of activity in the kitchen as cooks worked to cater to hundreds of people awaiting results. Security has been tightened at counting centres nationwide, with the Election Commission of India (ECI) beginning the tabulation process with postal ballots before moving to EVMs at 8:30 am. Real-time updates are being published on the ECINET platform and the poll body’s portal.

Breakfast prepared before sunrise

A specialised culinary team of 22 workers began cooking at 4 am to serve an anticipated crowd of 400 to 500 people throughout the day. Speaking to ANI, the chef overseeing the preparations explained the scale of the operation and detailed the items being served.

“We have been preparing since 4 in the morning. Food is being prepared for approximately 400 to 500 people. The breakfast menu features a wide variety of items, including sandwiches, aloo poori, poha, and jalebi. To complement the meal, fresh fruits, lassi, rabri, and traditional mishti doi have also been prepared,” he said.

A hearty lunch line-up

Lunch at the headquarters has also been planned with a focus on comfort dishes expected to sustain workers through the long counting hours. According to the chef,

“For lunch, we have dal tadka, kadhi pakoda, parwal aloo, rice, and papad.”

Sweet treats for a big day

To mark the significance of counting day, a generous dessert spread has also been arranged. The chef noted that Bengali Rasogulla and fresh Jalebis are being made in large quantities to serve the crowd expected over the course of the day.

(With inputs from ANI)