The victory came after postal ballots were counted, giving Amar Samudre two additional votes. He secured a total of 3,187 votes, while his BJP rival Nihal Qazi received 3,186 votes, including three postal votes
The counting began on Monday morning. Representational Pic/File
In a dramatic conclusion to the Dhoki Panchayat Samiti election in Dharashiv district of Maharashtra, Uddhav-Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate won by a margin of just one vote, officials said on Monday, reported the PTI.
The victory came after postal ballots were counted, giving Amar Samudre two additional votes. He secured a total of 3,187 votes, while his BJP rival Nihal Qazi received 3,186 votes, including three postal votes, the news agency reported.
The official also reported that 56 votes were cast in favour of NOTA (None of the Above), highlighting the tight nature of the contest.
Counting was on Monday ongoing for elections to 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis across Maharashtra, with results being closely monitored, as per the PTI.
ZP polls record 68.28 per cent voter turnout
Elections to 12 Zilla Parishads and 125 Panchayat Samitis in Maharashtra recorded an overall voter turnout of 68.28 per cent, the State Election Commission (SEC) said on Sunday, according to the PTI.
Parbhani district recorded the highest voter participation at 74.89 per cent, while Ratnagiri saw the lowest turnout, with only 55.79 per cent of eligible voters casting their ballots.
According to the SEC, Kolhapur followed closely with 74.45 per cent, while Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar registered a turnout of 72.69 per cent.
Voting was held on Saturday across Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Pune, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Kolhapur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Parbhani, Dharashiv and Latur districts.
A total of 731 members were to be elected, with 2,624 candidates contesting the polls.
The State Election Commission said the counting of votes will take place on February 9.
Polls postponed due to state mourning
The elections were originally scheduled for February 5, but were postponed following the death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and the declaration of three days of state mourning.
These elections are being seen as the first major electoral exercise since the tragedy and are being closely watched for signals on the future direction and unity of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
Both factions of the NCP contested the polls in alliance in their strongholds in western Maharashtra, making the results politically significant.
(with PTI inputs)
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