Abhijit Wanjari Leads in Nagpur Graduates’ Poll Postal Ballots
In the ongoing counting for the Nagpur Graduates’ Constituency election, Congress's Abhijit Wanjari is ahead of BJP's Sudhakar Kohale in postal ballots.
Wanjari secured 101 postal votes, leading Kohale by 15 votes.
A total of 238 postal ballots were received, with 204 valid votes counted.
The election features 38 candidates, with counting expected to continue into the afternoon.
The counting of votes for the Nagpur Division Graduates’ Constituency election commenced on Tuesday morning, revealing Congress candidate Abhijit Wanjari in the lead over Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Sudhakar Kohale in the postal ballot count. Out of 238 postal ballots received, 34 were invalid, resulting in 204 valid ballots. Wanjari garnered 101 votes while Kohale received 86, with other candidates collectively obtaining 22 votes.
This early lead for Wanjari has generated enthusiasm among Congress supporters, although the final outcome will hinge on the counting of remaining ballots. The election is being closely monitored, with 38 candidates contesting for the position. The counting process began at 8 am at the Divisional Sports Complex in Mankapur, where officials organized the postal ballots for validation.
During the counting, officials separated postal ballots to verify their validity, placing invalid or suspicious ballots in separate boxes for further examination. Each of the 39 boxes corresponds to a candidate or a category for suspicious ballots. Each counting table is expected to manage approximately 1,000 ballots at a time, with formal counting anticipated to start around 2 pm.
The election employs a preferential voting system, where first-preference votes will be counted first. If a candidate achieves the necessary quota through these votes, they will be declared the winner without further counting. If not, additional counting will follow the established preferential voting rules. Party workers at the counting center expressed optimism about a quick resolution based on first-preference votes.
The constituency had 2,55,603 registered voters, with 1,65,672 participating in the election. District-wise turnout varied, with Chandrapur achieving the highest at 73.05%, while Nagpur recorded the lowest at 60.35%. As counting progresses, attention remains on the first-preference results and the potential for any candidate to meet the required quota, with the final outcome pending the completion of the full counting process.
