Counting of votes for 11 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council seats is under way amid tight security across seven districts. The counting is being conducted in Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra, Meerut, Jhansi, Bareilly and Gorakhpur for five teacher and six graduate constituencies.
A total of 152 candidates are in the fray for these elections. The results are being closely watched because the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Samajwadi Party are facing each other in several constituencies. The voting for these seats took place on 23 October.
Separate counting centres have been set up, and election officials are supervising the counting of ballot papers. Since the elections use a preferential voting system, the final results for all the seats may take time to emerge.
The administration had completed preparations for counting votes for the five graduate and six teacher seats. Security arrangements have been made at all the centres. CCTV cameras and videography have also been put in place to monitor the proceedings.
More than 14.81 lakh voters were registered for the 11 seats. After voting ended, the ballot boxes were kept in secure strong rooms. Under the prescribed process, the ballot boxes are being opened, ballot papers are being sorted and the votes are being counted.
The counting for the teacher and graduate seats of the Meerut-Saharanpur segment is taking place at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology in Modipuram, Meerut.
According to media reports, there was a heated exchange between Congress candidate Vikrant Vashishtha and a police officer when the counting began. Information has emerged that the atmosphere at the counting centre remained tense for some time after the incident.
News Darpan
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