Bombay HC Nagpur bench asks petitioner to amend plea against graduates' constituency poll

The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has issued important directions on a petition seeking cancellation of the entire election process for the Nagpur division graduates' constituency. The bench has asked the petitioner to make the necessary amendments to the petition. It also said the next hearing in the case will be on November 2.

The petition has been filed by Sachin Kalbande. He alleges that the final electoral roll for the graduates' constituency election was not published on time as the rules require. According to him, the roll should have been out by the last day for filing nomination papers, but this did not happen.

Kalbande had also said that a large number of names were enrolled together on the last day, and on this basis he had objected to the election process. He further claimed that the electoral roll contains a large number of duplicate voters. Another issue raised in the petition was that some voters who do not hold a graduate degree and have only a certificate or a diploma were also declared eligible in the roll.

In view of these additional issues, the Nagpur bench has directed the petitioner to make the necessary amendments and present the petition before the bench at the next hearing on November 2.

The bench has also issued directions to the Election Commission and the state election machinery. Both will have to file their replies, in the form of affidavits, to the issues raised by the petitioner at the next hearing. The next hearing in the matter is on November 2.

Meanwhile, in the Nagpur division graduates' election, many voters have put a tick mark on the ballot paper against candidates' names instead of writing preference number 1. This has raised the possibility that the number of invalid votes in this election will be large.

In Amravati, preparations are under way for the counting of votes in the teachers' constituency election. The second round of making bundles of 25 ballot papers each has been completed. The third round has now begun, in which ballot papers from 14 ballot boxes will be taken out and bundled. According to the information available, there will be six rounds in all, after which the actual counting will begin.