On a Tuesday morning in late October, the quiet machinery of democracy turned over again as vote counting began for 28 seats in the Legislative Councils of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka. These are the chambers where graduates and teachers, rather than the crowd of a general election, choose their representatives, and the ballots cast on October 23 now pass through a slow, careful sequence of preferences. Under heavy security and under the watch of parties hoping to shape the balance of power, the counts will unfold over hours and sometimes into the night before the verdicts a
Counting Begins for 28 Legislative Council Seats Across UP, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka
Nobody has yet reached the quota; the count may run until midnight.
Mark
Twenty-eight seats across four states. Why does this count take so long?
Mimi
These are preferential votes, single transferable vote. If nobody clears the quota on first preferences, later preferences get counted, round after round. Uttar Pradesh kept extra staff in reserve for that reason.
Mark
What's the quota in Karnataka?
Mimi
In the West Graduates' seat, 50% plus one of valid votes to win in the first round. Of 97,400 voters, 73,658 voted.
Luke
And nobody has reached it yet. The report only says counting began, so any winner named now would be a guess.
Mark
Maharashtra seems to be where the political attention is.
Mimi
Yes. Five seats, 182 candidates, and the contests are watched for what they mean for Mahayuti and the Maha Vikas Aghadi, with rebels in the mix, as in Amravati.
Luke
Worth noting that the "closely watched" framing is the report's characterisation. It doesn't say what outcome would count as a win for either side.
Mark
Bihar has a different layout.
Mimi
BJP on four seats, JD(U) on four, and Jan Suraaj contesting all eight. The sitting members' terms end November 16.
Luke
The turnout gap is striking, 82.85% for teachers against 53.42% for graduates, but the report offers no explanation, so I wouldn't read a cause into it.
Der Puls
- Counting for 28 Legislative Council seats started at 8am across four states, with results far from guaranteed on the first pass.
- Gorakhpur's counting centre is ringed by layers of barricades and police as officials brace for a tense, procedurally demanding day.
- Maharashtra's five seats, with 182 candidates and rebels in the mix, are a test of footing for both the Mahayuti and the Maha Vikas Aghadi.
- Karnataka's West Graduates' seat may not be decided until midnight, because no candidate has yet cleared the 50 per cent plus one threshold.
On a Tuesday morning in late October, the quiet machinery of democracy turned over again as vote counting began for 28 seats in the Legislative Councils of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka. These are the chambers where graduates and teachers, rather than the crowd of a general election, choose their representatives, and the ballots cast on October 23 now pass through a slow, careful sequence of preferences. Under heavy security and under the watch of parties hoping to shape the balance of power, the counts will unfold over hours and sometimes into the night before the verdicts are settled.
At 8am on Tuesday, counting began for 28 Legislative Council seats in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka, following polling on October 23. In Gorakhpur, the counting centre was surrounded by barricades and police, and in Uttar Pradesh the chief electoral officer ordered backup generators, CCTV, restricted entry and extra reserve staff. The reason for the caution is the single transferable vote, a system that can turn a simple tally into several rounds of counting.
In Bihar, eight seats are being contested by 150 candidates, with the BJP and JD(U) splitting the field and Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party standing in all eight. In Maharashtra, five seats drew 182 candidates, and each contest is being read as a signal for the Mahayuti and the Maha Vikas Aghadi alike, with sitting members, rebels and shifting alliances all in play.
In Karnataka, the West Graduates' seat in Dharwad has 14 candidates, including the BJP's SV Sankanur, a two-time winner, and Congress's Mohan Limbikai. Counting will run across 14 tables, and unless someone clears 50 per cent plus one of valid votes, the result may not come until late evening or around midnight.
At 8am on Tuesday, counting began for 28 seats in the Legislative Councils of four states: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka. Polling had been held on October 23. In Gorakhpur, security around the counting centre was tightened, with multiple layers of barricading and police deployed to keep order.
Uttar Pradesh accounts for 11 of the seats. Five are graduates' constituencies: Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut and Allahabad-Jhansi. Six are teachers' constituencies: Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut, Bareilly-Moradabad and Gorakhpur-Faizabad. Chief electoral officer Navdeep Rinwa told returning officers to arrange elaborate security and uninterrupted power at the counting centres. Officials were told to install automatic-switch generators, maintain CCTV surveillance and videography, restrict entry to authorised personnel and field trained counting staff. Extra personnel were kept in reserve, because these elections use proportional representation through the single transferable vote, which can make counting slower than in conventional contests. Officials were also told to follow Election Commission guidelines and the Conduct of Elections Rules, with negligence or procedural violations to be treated seriously.
Bihar is counting eight seats, with 150 candidates: 90 in the four graduates' constituencies and 60 in the four teachers' constituencies. The graduates' seats are Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut and Kosi, with 4.92 lakh eligible voters and a turnout of 53.42%. The teachers' seats are Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut and Saran, with 40,253 electors and a turnout of 82.85%. Counting centres include the Bankipur Government Girls' Senior Secondary School in Patna, Khel Bhawan-cum-Vyayamshala Bhawan in Darbhanga, and the MIT administrative block in Muzaffarpur, which handles both Tirhut seats. The BJP is contesting four seats and its ally JD(U) the other four, while Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party is contesting all eight. The terms of the eight sitting members expire on November 16.
Maharashtra's five seats drew 182 candidates: graduates' constituencies in Pune, Nagpur and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and teachers' constituencies in Pune and Amravati. They have 10,68,072 registered voters and an overall turnout of 72.96%. The contests are being watched for what they mean for the BJP-led Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, amid rebel candidates and competing alliance interests.
In Nagpur, BJP's Sudhakar Kohale is challenging sitting Congress MLC Abhijit Wanjarri. The Pune graduates' seat has 47 candidates, including BJP's Smita Jadhav and Harshada Deshmukh-Jadhav of the NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar). In the Pune teachers' seat, BJP's Kaustubh Gawde faces Congress MLC Jayant Asgaonkar, while Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena backs independent Sachin Sanap. In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, sitting MLC Satish Chavan faces NCP (SP)'s Pratapsinh Patil. In the Amravati teachers' seat, sitting MLC Kiran Sarnaik faces Congress nominee Aditi Pohare and several rebels. Amravati had the highest turnout at 92.6%, followed by Pune teachers' at 85.86%, Nagpur graduates' at 64.84%, Pune graduates' at 62.76% and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar graduates' at 59.12%. If no candidate reaches the quota on first preferences, the outcome could turn on later preferences.
Karnataka is electing four council members across 17 districts. The key constituencies are the Bengaluru and North-East Teachers' seats and the West and South-East Graduates' seats. The West Graduates' count began at the University of Agricultural Sciences in Dharwad, where the strongroom was scheduled to open at 7.55am. The constituency covers Dharwad, Haveri, Gadag and Uttara Kannada, and 73,658 of 97,400 registered voters cast ballots, a turnout of 75.6%.
Fourteen candidates are in the fray, among them BJP's SV Sankanur, who won in 2014 and 2020, Congress's Mohan Limbikai and independent Kanthkumar. Regional commissioner and returning officer KM Janaki said votes would be counted across 14 tables, with additional assistant returning officers appointed. A candidate needs 50% plus one of valid votes to win in the first round; otherwise counting continues through several rounds, and the result may not come until late evening or around midnight.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Votes in the West Graduates' Constituency would be counted across 14 tables, with additional assistant returning officers appointed.— KM Janaki, regional commissioner and returning officer, Karnataka
Returning officers must ensure elaborate security, uninterrupted power, CCTV and videography at counting centres.— Navdeep Rinwa, UP chief electoral officer (paraphrased)
Möchten Sie die ganze Geschichte?
Das Original lesen bei Times of India ↗
Politics & Governance