Counting for Nagpur graduates' constituency begins at Mankapur stadium; 38 candidates in fray

Counting of votes for the Nagpur division graduates' constituency of the Legislative Council will begin at 8 am on Tuesday, October 27, at the Mankapur Indoor Stadium. Candidates and their supporters are now watching the counting centre for the result.

The administration has arranged 84 tables for the counting, which will be manned by more than 400 officers and staff. Police will also maintain tight security to preserve law and order.

According to Returning Officer and Divisional Commissioner Vijayalaxmi Bidari, 38 candidates are in the fray. Voting was held on October 23 in the six districts of the division.

Available figures show turnout of 60.35 per cent in Nagpur district, 67.07 per cent in Bhandara, 71.29 per cent in Gondia and 68.35 per cent in Wardha. Chandrapur recorded 73.05 per cent and Gadchiroli 72.95 per cent.

To ensure the counting follows the rules and is transparent, a training session for officers and staff was held on Monday at the Divisional Sports Complex. Election Observer Dr Harshdeep Kamble and Divisional Commissioner Bidari explained the counting rules and their responsibilities to the staff.

The election was held on ballot papers. The validity of ballots will therefore be checked, and they will be sorted and counted according to the prescribed rules and order of preference. If a candidate gets more than the required 50 per cent of first-preference votes, the result can be declared at that stage. But if the counting takes longer or further rounds are needed, the final result could be declared on October 28 as well.

Meanwhile, ahead of the counting, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi candidate Mangesh Wankhede has raised questions about the security of the strong room. He alleged that 14 to 15 CCTV cameras around the strong room, where ballot boxes were kept on October 25, were off for about an hour and a half.

Wankhede said he will complain to the state Chief Electoral Officer and the District Election Officer. He asked how so many cameras could go off at the same time and what alternative arrangement was made to guard the ballot boxes during that period. He also demanded to be told the real cause of the technical fault.

The allegation has been made by a candidate. The picture will become clear only after the administration gives its official response on why the cameras were off and what security was in place during that time.

Observer Kamble and Divisional Commissioner Bidari inspected the counting centre. They reviewed the tables, the strong room, the seating for candidates and their representatives, and vehicle parking. The administration's focus is on entry control, crowd management and security so that the counting can be completed peacefully.