The Nagpur Division Graduates’ Constituency election of 2026 has turned out to be a nail-biter keeping all guessing about the winner throughout the day. Initially, Congress candidate Adv Abhijeet Wanjari took the lead but was overtaken by BJP candidate Sudhakar Kohale in second round. It was a cliff-hanger for both the candidates by Wednesday night as it was speculated that Adv Wanjari would emerge victorious after the eliminating round. Counting of second preference votes of Independent candidate Nitesh Karale began only around 11 pm on Wednesday. Final result is likely to be out on Thursday morning. Speculations over the possible victory of Congress candidate Adv Abhijeet Wanjari were rife till late Wednesday night.

 

According to sources, the final result is likely to be declared on Thursday morning. After the second round of first-preference counting, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Sudhakar Kohale had established a lead of 4,294 votes over Wanjari. However, the elimination round, during which ballot papers containing second preferences marked for Karale were sorted into bundles for counting, fuelled speculation that Wanjari could bridge the gap and take the lead. The official figures after the second round showed Kohale with 60,924 votes, Wanjari with 56,630 and Karale with 24,249. The number of invalid votes stood at 15,032, while the quota required for election was 75,438 votes. The counting witnessed drama, excitement, suspense and unexpected developments throughout the day. With political observers expecting a substantial share of Karale’s second-preference votes to go to Wanjari, Congress supporters began celebrating outside the counting centre after indications emerged that their candidate was gaining ground.

 

The celebrations also led to a brief face-off between Congress and BJP workers outside the Mankapur Indoor Stadium over sloganeering, prompting police to intervene and attempt to pacify both sides. The counting began on Tuesday at the Mankapur Indoor Stadium, where ballot papers were taken up under the preferential voting system across 84 tables. Of the 238 postal ballots received, 34 were declared invalid, while the remaining 204 were found valid and included in the counting process. The first round of counting continued for nearly eight hours, while the second round, involving 81,909 votes, was completed in the early hours of Wednesday. A total of 1,65,705 ballot papers received from 445 polling stations were taken up for counting.

 

The elimination round began early Wednesday morning. According to sources, the final result is likely to be declared on Thursday morning. After the second round of first-preference counting, BJP candidate Sudhakar Kohale had established a lead of 4,294 votes over Wanjari. However, the elimination round, during which ballot papers containing second preferences marked for Karale were sorted into bundles for counting, fuelled speculation that Wanjari could bridge the gap and take the lead. Official figures after the second round showed Kohale with 60,924 votes, Wanjari with 56,630 and Karale with 24,249.

 

The number of invalid votes stood at 15,032, while the quota required for election was 75,438 votes. The counting witnessed drama, excitement, suspense and unexpected developments throughout the day. With political observers expecting a substantial share of Karale’s second-preference votes to go to Wanjari, Congress supporters began celebrating outside the counting centre after indications emerged that their candidate was gaining ground. The counting began on Tuesday at the Mankapur Indoor Stadium, where ballot papers were taken up under the preferential voting system across 84 tables. Of the 238 postal ballots received, 34 were declared invalid, while the remaining 204 were found valid and included in the counting process. The first round of counting continued for nearly eight hours, while the second round, involving 81,909 votes, was completed in the early hours of Wednesday. A total of 1,65,705 ballot papers received from 445 polling stations were taken up for counting. The elimination round began early Wednesday morning. 

 

Independent candidate Nitesh Karale, popularly known as Karale Guruji, emerged as a major talking point in the election. With neither Kohale nor Wanjari reaching the prescribed quota after the first two rounds, Karale’s second-preference votes assumed significance in determining the outcome. His impressive vote tally also raised questions about the extent of his support among graduate voters and the factors that contributed to his performance as an Independent candidate. 

 

 

The prolonged counting process in the Nagpur Graduates’ Constituency election became a subject of discussion, with many questioning why the results in the other four Legislative Council constituencies in Maharashtra had been declared earlier. According to an official, the delay was primarily due to the preferential voting system. As neither of the leading candidates had reached the prescribed quota and Karale had secured a substantial number of votes, the elimination process became necessary. Under this system, candidates are eliminated successively, and the valid votes assigned to them are transferred to the next available preference marked on the ballot papers. The process continues until a candidate secures the required quota. The counting of second- and subsequent-preference votes, therefore, made the process considerably more time-consuming than a straightforward first-preference count. 

 

 

Tension prevailed outside Mankapur Stadium, where counting for Nagpur Division Graduates’ Constituency was underway, after BJP and Congress workers faced off over sloganeering. Before official declaration of the result, Congress workers began celebrating the anticipated victory of Abhijeet Wanjari. The celebrations were accompanied by slogans against the BJP, prompting BJP workers to raise counter-slogans against the Congress. The exchange of slogans heated up the atmosphere outside the counting centre, forcing police to intervene. Police personnel were making efforts to pacify workers from both the parties and prevent the situation from escalating. 

 

With no candidate is likely to secure votes fixed as quota, the case may be refered to the ECI. Usually in such cases, one who secures highest votes is the winner. But election machinery at local level has to seek permission from the ECI. The word of ECI is final. It remains to be seen what decision and when the ECI takes the final call.