Pune graduates’ and teachers’ constituency polls: Higher turnout despite Covid pandemic

With high polling percentage, both BJP and Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders claim that outcome will be in their favour

Despite elections in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, the turnout for Pune graduates’ and teachers’ constituency on Tuesday was very high.Until 4 PM, the administration had recorded 49.52 % turnout for graduates’ constituency and 67.36 % voting for teachers’ constituency.

Voters wait for their turn at the Ahilyadevi high school in Pune to vote in the graduates and teachers’ constituency polls. (Rahul Raut/HT PHOTO)

Pune constituency consists of five districts including Pune, Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara and Solapur. The total numbers of voters in the graduate constituency are 4.26 lakh and for teachers’ constituency, the total voters are 72,545.

Solapur registered a voter turnout of 62.06 per cent for the graduates’ constituency and 85.37 per cent for the teachers’ constituency. On the other hand, Kolhapur registered a voter turnout of 68.09 per cent for the graduates’ constituency and 86.77 per cent for the teachers’ constituency.

Counting of votes will take place on Thursday, December 3.

With higher polling percentage, both BJP and Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders claimed that outcome will be in their favour.

Chandrakant Patil, BJP state unit chief said, “The higher turnout will ensure the victory of BJP nominees as the party workers had ensured higher registration for these polls.”

As there were a total of 62 candidates for graduates’ constituency and 35 candidates for the teachers’ constituency, it was a big challenge in front of the administration to conduct the voting, which was carried out through ballot paper instead of the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM). For the graduates’ constituency, BJP’s Sangram Deshmukh was locked in a direct fight with NCP nominee Arun Lad with backing from MVA.

For Pune teachers’ constituency, the NCP pitted Jayant Asgaonkar against an independent Jitendra Pawar, whom the BJP has supported.

The administration made enough arrangements and voting centres and ensured that there is enough social distancing while performing the votes.

Keeping the Covid pandemic in mind, the administration had made ample arrangements.

Pune divisional commissioner Saurabh Rao said, “We’ve made the necessary arrangements at all polling centres. Sanitisers, use of masks and social distancing was maintained in all the five districts. Despite all the restrictions, the voter turnout was good.”

On the background of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was expected that there would be less voting but until evening, the voter turnout was good.

Given that the electorate from five districts participated for each constituency polls, the BJP had made the polls important enough to make it a verdict on the MVA as also Uddhav Thackeray’s governance.

For Pune graduates’ and teachers’ constituency polls, voters from five districts – Pune, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Solapur –cast their votes.

The BJP believes that a favourable outcome in these polls will send a message that people are not supporting tripartite MVA government while the defeat of the saffron party candidates would stave off the threat to the coalition in the immediate future, feel political observers.