Nagpur: With only nine days left for the Lok Sabha election results, a shocking revelation has surfaced from the Nagpur Lok Sabha constituency. It has been disclosed that votes from a specific polling booth will not be counted due to a procedural lapse by election officials. The oversight, which involved conducting actual voting without clearing mock poll votes, came to light a full 35 days after the event. India Alliance candidate and Congress official MLA Vikas Thakre has demanded a re-election at the affected polling booth. Thakre has also called for strict action against the election officials responsible for depriving citizens of their right to vote.
On the day of voting, as per regulations, a mock poll is conducted at every polling station at 5:30 AM. Afterward, the control unit’s Close Result Clear (CRC) function is used to clear mock poll results before actual voting begins. However, it has come to light that at polling booth number 233, located at Dadaji Dhuniwale Municipal High Primary School, Ravinagar, actual voting was conducted without clearing the mock poll results. Out of the 865 registered voters at this booth, 315 cast their votes, according to Form 17C. The exact number of mock poll votes and actual votes remains unclear.
The Assistant Election Officer for the Nagpur West Assembly constituency informed the Nagpur Lok Sabha constituency’s Election Officer about the issue on April 30, 2024. However, this information should have been disclosed on the day of voting, April 19. The Election Officer claimed to have notified all candidates via letter on May 15, but Thakre’s sources only learned of the issue on May 24, and no official letter was received by Thakre.
Crucially, in a letter dated May 15, 2024, the Election Officer announced that votes from this booth would not be counted in the tally on June 4. Additionally, the booth will not be included among the five polling stations selected for mandatory VVPAT slip verification. Thakre, having not received the letter officially, filed a complaint on May 24 demanding a re-election at the booth. Due to administrative mishandling, many names were missing from the voter list, affecting the voter turnout. Now, with the declaration that the votes cast will not be counted, the Election Officer’s actions have further disrespected the voters. Thakre emphasizes the need for a re-election at this booth to rectify the situation.
