Counting begins for Nagpur graduates' seat; ticked ballots may swell invalid votes

Counting of votes for the Nagpur division graduates' constituency has begun. The process has been under way since 8 am at the Mankapur sports complex in Nagpur. The whole state is watching the seat.

Elections were held in a total of three graduates' and two teachers' constituencies in the state. Together, 182 candidates were in the fray, and the political fate of all of them is to be decided today. Even so, political circles are watching the Nagpur result most closely.

The reason is that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and senior Congress leaders also campaigned in this election, making the contest a close one. The result will show whether voters have placed their trust in the BJP's Sudhakar Kohale or the Congress's Abhijit Wanjari.

Turnout in the Nagpur division graduates' seat was 64.76 per cent. Of the 2,55,603 voters in all, 1,65,541 cast their votes. There are 38 candidates on this seat.

In the first hour, the ballot boxes holding the votes cast were brought to the hall set up at the counting centre. Bundling of the ballot papers into lots of 25 was then due to begin. Before counting is completed, these bundles of 25 will be placed on a table at the rate of a thousand bundles per table.

In the first round, 84,000 votes will be counted, and preparations for it have begun. Counting of postal votes will also start. Until 9 am, that is the first hour, the actual counting had not begun, but the pre-counting process had already started.

Meanwhile, the number of invalid votes in the Nagpur division graduates' election appears set to rise. Many voters have put a tick mark (yes) against candidates' names on the ballot paper instead of writing preference number 1. For this reason, the number of invalid votes in this election could be high.

Meanwhile, in the counting for the Amravati teachers' seat, the second round of bundles of 25 ballot papers each has been prepared. The third round has now begun, in which ballot papers from 14 ballot boxes will be taken out and bundled. According to information available, there will be six rounds in all, after which the actual counting will begin.