The police guarded the centre where votes for the Mumbai South Central constituency were being counted; they had to erect barricades to bar people from entering the building, when Rahul Shewale emerged the winner
The counting process for the Mumbai South Central constituency was done under heavy police cover. The centre at Ruparel College in Matunga initially didn’t have many people standing outside, but the crowd slowly gathered by noon. There was also an ambulance and fire brigade on standby.
India 'Modi'fied: In-depth coverage of election results 2014
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Shiv Sena’s Rahul Shewale defeated incumbent Congress MP Eknath Gaikwad by over 1.38 lakh votes. Pic/Sayed Sameer Abedi
Five police vans were stationed at the centre, apart from the policemen already present there. While other counting centres didn’t have such law enforcement cover, the precautions may have come against the background of an alleged assault on a constable on election day by the wife of Rahul Shewale, now the MP of the constituency.
Shewale’s Shiv Sena supporters started gathering outside the centre around 11.30 am, with Sena flags and drums. At the end of every counting round, vote counts and leading candidates are announced.
As soon as the round 8 announcement was made, Shiv Sena supporters gathered in huge numbers. Celebrations already broke out, with the young and the elderly dancing away to glory.
With subsequent counting round, it became evident that Shewale would defeat current MP, Congress’ Eknath Gaikwad. However, by 1.30 pm, after 18 rounds the announcements abruptly stopped – there were a total of 21 rounds.
The crowds waited for a long time for the winner to be announced. Many of them tried entering the premises to know the news. Police had to erect barricades and make announcements to ask them to stay away from the centre.
About half an hour later, it was suddenly declared that Rahul Shewale would be coming out. Party members and supporters welcomed him with a bouquet. He was also paraded on shoulders around the area, after which he left for Sena Bhavan.
When contacted, Shewale’s wife Kamini said, “It is a dream come true for Balasaheb. We are very happy we won with a big lead. We will now work to prove ourselves to the people and the trust they have shown us.”
She further added that due to some problem, the final winner’s announcement was not made.
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