Ballot box seals found missing and threat note emerges during Pune MLC counting at Balewadi

Counting for the Pune division teachers' and graduates' constituencies of the Maharashtra Legislative Council began at the Shri Shivchhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi. Within the first two hours, the venue saw considerable commotion and a political row. The seals of several ballot boxes were found broken, and a warning note found in one ballot box caused further confusion.

Chaos broke out at the counting centre at Balewadi stadium as soon as counting began. Counting agents of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) noticed that a total of eight ballot boxes either had no seal or had broken security wires. MVA candidate Harshada Deshmukh (Nationalist Congress Party, Sharadchandra Pawar party) and her agents lodged a strong objection and demanded that counting be stopped. A heated exchange took place between the returning officer and MVA workers over the issue, and counting had to be halted for some time.

Separately, during the counting for the Pune teachers' constituency, a startling discovery was made at table number 2. A handwritten note came out of one ballot box along with the ballot papers. It read: "No one can buy us. Implement the old pension scheme of before 2004, or else see what happens..." The box was from the Rajewadi polling station in Purandar taluka, and it became clear that a teacher had put in the warning note along with the vote. Kiran Gophane brought this to the notice of the election officials, after which the note was seized.

Bharatiya Janata Party state vice-president Keshav Upadhye sharply criticised the opposition over the disorder at the counting centre. He said, "Results of the graduates' and teachers' constituencies are being declared today. Voting was done on ballot papers, not EVMs. So if the opposition loses today, on whom will it pin the blame: the ballot paper, the Election Commission or its own failure?" Upadhye also said the double standard of calling a favourable result a victory for democracy and showering allegations when the result goes against them must end. His advice was that the opposition should show the courage to accept the people's verdict instead of looking for new reasons for defeat.

There are 30 candidates in the fray in the Pune teachers' constituency, and differences within the Mahayuti have made the contest interesting. Kaustubh Murlidhar Gavade of the BJP is the Mahayuti's official candidate. Jayant Asgaonkar of the Congress is the MVA's official candidate and the sitting MLC. Sachin Sanap is an independent backed by the Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction). Dattatray Sawant, also an independent, is a former MLC contesting as a rebel candidate.

The Pune graduates' constituency has 47 candidates in all. The contest is a multi-cornered or three-way fight, and votes are likely to split because of the rebellion in the MVA. Dr Smita Yogesh Jadhav is the BJP (Mahayuti) candidate, Harshada Deshmukh-Jadhav is the candidate of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) for the MVA, and Sunil Modi is contesting as a rebel candidate of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) party.