MLC Vote Counting Begins: High Stakes in UP, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka
Counting for 28 Legislative Council seats starts across four states. Candidates express confidence and raise concerns over counting integrity.
The anticipation reaches its peak as the vote counting for 28 seats across the Legislative Council constituencies of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, and Karnataka commenced on Tuesday. Following the polling conducted on October 23, officials have now begun the process of tallying ballots to determine who will secure these crucial legislative positions.
Tight Security and High Tension in Uttar Pradesh
In Uttar Pradesh, the atmosphere is charged with expectation, particularly in Gorakhpur, where security has been ramped up. The counting center is protected by multiple layers of barricading and a heavy deployment of police personnel to ensure a smooth process.
The state saw polling for several key constituencies:
- Graduates' Constituencies: Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut, and Allahabad-Jhansi.
- Teachers' Constituencies: Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut, Bareilly-Moradabad, and Gorakhpur-Faizabad.
Confidence is high among the BJP camp. Awanish Kumar Singh, the BJP candidate for the Lucknow Graduates' Constituency, praised the party workers for facilitating a massive turnout. Expressing his faith in a victory, Singh stated that a huge number of ballots are expected to favor the BJP, citing the blessings of Lord Ram and Hanuman ji.
On the other hand, the Samajwadi Party (SP) is calling for strict transparency. Sushil Kumar, a candidate for the Teachers' Constituency, urged the administration to remain impartial. He emphasized that it is the constitutional duty of the officials to ensure that no external pressure from the government or any other entity influences the counting proceedings.
The Battle in Maharashtra and Karnataka
The electoral competition is equally intense in Maharashtra, where a staggering 182 candidates are vying for just five seats. The contest is split between three Graduates' constituencies—Pune, Nagpur, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar—and two Teachers' constituencies located in Pune and Amravati.
Meanwhile, Karnataka is counting votes for four Legislative Council seats that span 17 districts. The primary focus in the state remains on the West and South-East Graduates' constituencies, as well as the Bengaluru and North-East Teachers' constituencies.
Controversies Emerge in Bihar
In Bihar, the counting process covers eight seats, evenly split between four Graduates' constituencies (Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut, and Kosi) and four Teachers' constituencies (Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut, and Saran). The Bankipur Government Girls' Higher Secondary School has been designated as the counting center for the Patna Graduate and Patna Teachers' seats.
However, the process in Bihar has not been without friction. Anuj Singh, a candidate from Jan Suraaj, raised serious allegations regarding the counting arrangements. While expressing confidence that Jan Suraaj would win the Patna Graduates' seat by a significant margin, Singh pointed out a critical security lapse: the absence of CCTV cameras in the counting area.
"In the area where the counting takes place, there are no CCTV cameras installed. This is not right; we are feeling a bit apprehensive," Singh stated, noting that the issue had been brought to the attention of the Returning Officer.
Beyond security, Singh also criticized the infrastructure provided for counting agents, describing the designated area as unhygienic and plagued by a foul smell.