MLC Vote Counting Tension in Patna as Bags Are Checked at Centre
Vote counting is taking place today to announce results for 28 Legislative Council seats in four states. Meanwhile, a commotion has been reported outside a counting centre in Patna, the capital of Bihar.
The complaint is that bundles of files were brought out of the counting centre. Workers at the centre stopped those who were reportedly carrying the files out.
The Bankipur Girls School counting centre has been accused of lacking CCTV cameras. Jan Suraaj Party and Congress leaders objected to the arrangement. Upon seeing two government employees holding a bag full of papers, they asked for the documents inside to be displayed.
Tension grew outside the centre after the government employees did not show the bag. Eventually, the staff had to open the bag and show what it contained.
A Close Contest in Patna
The outcome of the Patna Graduate Constituency election is being watched closely. JDU's Neeraj Kumar and Jan Suraaj's Anuj Singh have been locked in a contest that has drawn attention. Mokama MLA Anant Singh had also extended his support to Anuj Singh in this seat.
Results for eight Bihar Legislative Council seats are being released today. Counting centres have been set up in Patna, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Purnia and Chhapra. The counting will settle the fate of 150 candidates. The seats include four graduate constituencies in Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut and Kosi, and four teacher constituencies in Patna, Darbhanga, Tirhut and Saran.
Bihar's MLC elections have proved quite interesting. The BJP has bet on four seats, while its ally JDU has fielded candidates for the other four. Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party has also nominated candidates for all eight seats. Because of this, the results are considered significant for judging how these parties have fared.
Voting for Bihar's Eight MLC Seats Held on October 23
Votes for these eight MLC seats were cast on October 23. According to available figures, teacher constituencies saw higher voter participation than graduate constituencies. Turnout was 43.87 percent in graduate constituencies and 74.55 percent in teacher constituencies.