Pune: Tension erupted at the counting centre for the Pune Division Graduate and Teachers’ Constituency elections on Tuesday after workers of the Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) clashed over lunch boxes being brought inside the premises.
The dispute began when MVA workers objected to food being brought in for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates during preparations for vote counting. They questioned why food was being allowed inside the centre when restrictions had allegedly been imposed on other workers.
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“Our workers were not even allowed to bring chocolates, and there was no arrangement for drinking water. Then how was food brought directly from caterers for the BJP candidates?” MVA workers questioned.
The objection led to a heated exchange between workers of the two political alliances, with both sides confronting each other over allegations of unequal treatment at the counting centre.
MVA workers alleged that the restrictions on carrying food items were not being applied uniformly and questioned the arrangements made for BJP candidates.
Meanwhile, the counting process faced delays as officials continued arranging ballot papers into bundles of 50 each. The exercise began at 8 am and was still underway, delaying the start of the actual vote counting.
Counting was expected to begin between 3 pm and 4 pm on Tuesday. The results of the Graduate and Teachers’ Constituency elections in the Pune division were expected to become clear late Tuesday night or by Wednesday morning.
