Pune MLC Election Counting: Teachers' Constituency Victory Quota Fixed At 25,756 Votes Amid Ballot Box Seal Row

Pune: The vote counting process for the Pune Division Teachers’ Constituency of the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections began on Tuesday night after the victory quota was fixed at 25,756 votes, with 51,511 of the total votes found valid. A total of 53,185 votes were polled in the constituency, where 29 candidates are in the fray. The announcement came around 9.20 pm, following hours of preparations and disputes at the counting centre at the Shri Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi. The final result was expected late Tuesday night or by Wednesday morning around 9 or 10 am.

The main contest in the Teachers’ Constituency is between sitting MLA Jayant Asgaonkar of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and Mahayuti’s official candidate Kaustubh Gavade. Sponsored candidate Dattatray Sawant and independent candidate Sachin Sanap, backed by the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, are also in the contest.

However, the valid and invalid vote figures and the victory quota for the Pune Division Graduates’ Constituency had not been announced by district election officials until this article went to print.

The counting day witnessed a series of tense moments at the Balewadi centre, with objections over allegedly broken wax seals on eight ballot boxes in the morning and a confrontation between Mahayuti and MVA workers over lunch boxes in the afternoon. The incidents unfolded within hours of the counting preparations beginning at 8 am and the latest update on the Teachers’ Constituency being issued around 9.20 pm, which is roughly around 13 hours.

‘Eight ballot boxes with broken wax seals’ trigger row

The first major disruption occurred in the morning when representatives of the MVA, including candidate Harshada Deshmukh-Jadhav, objected to eight ballot boxes allegedly having broken wax seals. They questioned the condition of the seals and demanded clarification from the election administration.

According to the representatives, although the paper seals on the boxes remained intact, the condition of the wax seals raised concerns that needed to be addressed before counting proceeded. Deshmukh-Jadhav attempted to bring the matter to the attention of election officials and sought an explanation.

Officials reportedly examined the matter, but the representatives alleged that counting was allowed to continue on the grounds that the paper seals remained intact. The disagreement led to a verbal exchange between the representatives and the Returning Officer’s team, briefly disrupting proceedings.

The representatives demanded that the disputed boxes be set aside and that counting of the remaining boxes continue without interruption. They also sought clarity on the video recording of the proceedings, including when a copy would be made available. Some representatives alleged that they faced difficulties in submitting written complaints and demanded that their objections be formally recorded.

A senior official from the Pune district election administration, told The Free Press Journal, “We are doing everything that is needed and necessary according to law and order. There is nothing that is going without rules and regulations. Everything is been followed. In this case, we are investigating things out, and we will give the accurate information after everything is cleared and clarified.”

The allegations regarding the wax seals did not, by themselves, establish that ballot papers had been tampered with or that the counting process had been compromised.

Lunch boxes spark Mahayuti-MVA confrontation

Tensions resurfaced in the afternoon when workers of the Mahayuti and the MVA clashed over lunch boxes being brought inside the counting centre. MVA workers objected to food being brought in for BJP candidates, questioning what they described as unequal enforcement of restrictions on carrying food items inside the premises.

“Our workers were not even allowed to bring chocolates, and there was no arrangement for drinking water. Then how was food brought directly from caterers for the BJP candidates?” MVA workers questioned.

The objection triggered a heated exchange between workers of the two political groups, with the MVA alleging that restrictions were not being applied equally. They questioned why food from outside was permitted for BJP candidates when other workers were reportedly not allowed to carry even chocolates inside.

The confrontation took place while preparations for the actual counting were still underway, adding to the tension at the centre.

Bundling of ballot papers delays counting

The counting process was delayed as officials continued arranging ballot papers into bundles of 50 each. The exercise began at 8 am and was still underway for several hours, with the actual counting expected to begin around 4 pm, is now set to begin around 10:30 pm.

The delay meant that the final counting process extended into the evening. The Teachers’ Constituency’s victory quota was announced around 9.20 pm. The Graduates’ Constituency figures remained awaited when this report went to print.

Graduates record lower turnout than teachers

The two constituencies recorded different levels of voter participation. According to interim figures released by the election administration, the Graduates’ Constituency recorded a turnout of 62.78%, considerably lower than the 85.87% registered in the Teachers’ Constituency.

Of the 3,88,019 registered graduate voters, 2,43,611 cast their ballots. In comparison, 53,185 of the 61,940 registered teachers exercised their franchise. Across both constituencies, 2,96,796 votes were recorded out of 4,49,959 registered voters, translating into a combined turnout of 65.96%.