Mankapur stadium
Officials said formal correspondence had been sent to govt of India and Election Commission of India , following which approval was received to conduct counting on October 27. With 38 candidates contesting the election, including BJP’s Sudhakar Kohale and Congress’s Abhijit Wanjari, the administration is preparing for a potentially lengthy counting exercise.
A senior election official said preparations were nearly complete, with final arrangements underway at the stadium. “Of the 110 surveillance cameras installed, 32 are monitoring the strong room, while another 78 have been deployed in the counting rooms to ensure continuous surveillance throughout the exercise,” he added. Another senior official associated with the entire process said, “The strong room, where ballot papers from all six districts have been secured, was officially sealed at 6am on Saturday in the presence of the election observer, micro-observer and representatives of political parties,” adding that the sealing was carried out following the prescribed procedures to ensure transparency and security. If no candidate secures the required quota through first-preference votes, subsequent preferences will be examined according to the prescribed counting procedure. Officials said representatives of political parties would remain present during the entire exercise to ensure transparency at every stage.
The exercise will begin at 8am. The preferential voting system adds another layer of complexity. Officials must first identify valid ballots and determine the winning quota, calculated by dividing the total valid votes by two and adding one.