The Pune district administration is fully prepared for the counting of votes for the Lok Sabha seats scheduled on June 4. Four Lok Sabha constituencies will have their votes counted in the Pune district. Counting for the Pune and Baramati Lok Sabha seats will take place at the Food Corporation of India (FCI) godown in Koregaon Park, while the Maval Lok Sabha seat will be counted at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi. Additionally, the Shirur Lok Sabha seat's counting will occur at the State Warehouse Godown in Ranjangaon MIDC.
Counting will commence at 8am with postal ballots and votes from the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS). This will be followed by EVM votes from 8:30am. Pune will undergo 21 rounds of counting, while Baramati, Shirur, and Maval will have 24, 27 and 24 rounds, respectively. Pune District Collector Suhas Diwase anticipates each round to conclude within 15-20 minutes. "If all goes as per plan, we expect to wrap up counting by late afternoon," he added.
A total of 1,896 polling staffers, including counting assistants, supervisors, and micro observers, will be deployed for the EVM counting process. Additionally, 174 staffers will count postal votes, ETPBS votes, and votes polled from home by senior citizens aged above 85 and disabled electors.
Each constituency has been allocated specific tables based on the number of polling booths. Maval has 108 tables, Pune has 102, Baramati has 114, and Shirur has 100. Diwase has emphasised that only authorised personnel with proper authorisation and gate passes will be allowed into the counting centres. Separate entry and exit routes have been arranged for counting staff, candidates, and agents. Mobile phones will be prohibited inside counting halls, and only election commission-approved identity card holders will be permitted inside the centres.
Voting for Pune, Maval, and Shirur occurred on May 13, while Baramati voted on May 7. In Pune, the contest is between BJP's Murlidhar Mohol and Congress' Ravindra Dhangekar. In Baramati, three-time MP Supriya Sule of the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) faces competition from Sunetra Pawar of the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction). In Shirur, sitting MP Amol Kolhe of NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) faces off against NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) candidate Shivajirao Adhalrao. In Maval, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) MP Shrirag Barne is challenged by Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) leader Sanjog Waghere.
The final voting percentage for Pune was 53.54 per cent, a slight increase from 2019's 49.89 per cent. However, voter turnout in Maval, Shirur and Baramati decreased. Maval recorded a voter turnout of 54.87 per cent, lower than 2019's 59.59 per cent. Shirur recorded a voter turnout of 54.16 per cent, also lower than 2019's 59.44 per cent. Baramati's voting percentage dropped by 2.2 per cent to 59.50 per cent.
Key Highlights:
- Counting will commence at 8am with postal ballots and votes from the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS). This will be followed by EVM votes from 8:30am.
- Pune Lok Sabha seat will undergo 21 rounds of counting, while Baramati, Shirur, and Maval will have 24, 27, and 24 rounds, respectively. Pune District Collector Suhas Diwase anticipates each round to conclude within 15-20 minutes.
- A total of 1,896 polling staffers will be deployed for the EVM counting process. Additionally, 174 staffers will count postal votes, ETPBS votes, and votes polled from home by senior citizens aged above 85 and disabled electors.
