New Delhi, May 3 -- Ahead of the counting of votes in West Bengal scheduled for Monday, the Election Commission on Saturday deployed an additional 165 counting observers and 77 police observers in the state. While the additional counting observers will assist the 294 such observers already deployed per constituency, the additional police observers will strengthen security and oversee law and order arrangements outside the counting centres, the poll body said. Officials said that while police observers are generally not deployed during vote counting, in this case, they will not be allowed to enter the counting centres. "The additional counting observers and police observers have been deployed to ensure that the counting proceedings are conducted in a secure, peaceful, intimidation-free and transparent environment," the Election Commission (EC) said. The EC asserted that it appointed the additional observers in exercise of its constitutional powers under Article 324 of the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act....