E-Paper
Recount of Pune’s Hadapsar assembly votes ordered after Jagtap plea
Jagtap had contested against Chetan Tupe of the ruling NCP and lost by a narrow margin of 7,122 votes. Tupe secured 1,34,810 votes, while Jagtap polled 1,27,688. The Hadapsar seat had seen a direct fight between the two factions of the NCP, which have been at odds since the party’s split
The Pune district election officer has ordered recount of votes polled in the Hadapsar assembly constituency during the Maharashtra assembly elections held in November 2024. The recount of votes from 27 EVMs and VVPATs is scheduled to be conducted in Bhosari between July 25 and August 2, according to an official release issued on Monday.
The decision comes months after Prashant Jagtap, the candidate from the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), questioned the legitimacy of the counting process and demanded review of votes cast through electronic voting machines (EVMs) and the accompanying voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) slips.
Jagtap had contested against Chetan Tupe of the ruling NCP and lost by a narrow margin of 7,122 votes. Tupe secured 1,34,810 votes, while Jagtap polled 1,27,688. The Hadapsar seat had seen a direct fight between the two factions of the NCP, which have been at odds since the party’s split.
Following the declaration of results, candidates in multiple constituencies raised concerns about discrepancies in vote counting. Hadapsar was among those flagged for alleged irregularities.
Initially, the Election Commission of India had allowed a recount of 27 EVMs and VVPAT units from Hadapsar. However, it had directed that the machines be formatted and used for a mock poll rather than reviewing the actual votes. Jagtap and others challenged the decision in the Supreme Court.
Reacting to the development, Jagtap said he was confident that the recount would “reveal the manipulation” he believes took place during the vote count in Hadapsar.
