In a surprising turn of events, Shiv Sena’s Ravindra Waikar and Rabindra Narayan Behera of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured victories in the Lok Sabha elections, despite initially trailing in the electronic voting machine (EVM) counts. Both candidates managed to surpass their closest competitors after the inclusion of postal ballots.
Ravindra Waikar’s Narrow Win
Ravindra Waikar clinched the Mumbai North West seat in Maharashtra. Throughout the EVM count, Waikar was trailing behind Amol Gajanan Kirtikar of Shiv Sena (UBT). Kirtikar maintained a lead for most of the day, with the EVM count showing 4,51,095 votes for Kirtikar against 4,51,094 for Waikar, a razor-thin margin of just one vote.
However, the scenario shifted with the inclusion of postal ballots. Waikar received 1,550 postal ballots, compared to Kirtikar’s 1,501, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI). This addition brought Waikar’s total to 4,52,644 votes, narrowly surpassing Kirtikar’s 4,52,596, securing his victory by a mere 48 votes – the slimmest margin in Maharashtra. The Shiv Sena (UBT) has announced its intention to challenge this result in court.
Rabindra Narayan Behera’s Victory
In Odisha’s Jajpur constituency, Rabindra Narayan Behera of the BJP also triumphed despite trailing in the EVM counts. Behera was behind his nearest rival, Sarmistha Sethi of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), by 496 votes during the EVM tally. The final EVM count stood at 5,28,959 votes for Behera against Sethi’s 5,29,455.
The tables turned when postal ballots were included in the tally. Behera garnered 5,280 postal ballots, while Sethi received 3,224. This brought Behera’s total votes to 5,34,239, surpassing Sethi’s 5,32,652, thus securing his victory.
Postal Ballot System
Postal ballots are typically utilized by government employees stationed away from their constituencies, prisoners, and those on election duty. Traditionally, the counting of postal ballots was conducted 30 minutes before EVM counting, with all postal ballots counted prior to the completion of EVM counting.
However, following the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) modified the guidelines due to the increased number of postal ballots, driven by the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS) and the mandatory counting of VVPAT slips from five randomly selected polling stations. The new directive, issued on May 18, 2019, allowed EVM counting to proceed irrespective of the stage of postal ballot counting.
The victories of Ravindra Waikar and Rabindra Narayan Behera underscore the significant impact postal ballots can have on election outcomes. These results highlight the importance of including all forms of votes in the final tally to ensure a comprehensive and fair electoral process. As these developments unfold, they also emphasize the need for transparency and accuracy in the electoral system to uphold the integrity of democratic processes.
