Varanasi: amid tight security arrangements, the counting of votes of Varanasi graduate and teachers’ constituencies for Legislative Council started at Pahadia Mandi on Tuesday.The bundling of ballots, through which voters from both constituencies in eight districts had exercised their franchise on Oct 23, started at 14 tables under the supervision of Election Commission’s observers, including Pranjal Yadav, returning officer, and divisional commissioner S Rajalingam, district election officer and district magistrate Satyendra Kumar.Kumar said that after the process of bundling the ballet papers completed after 2 pm following opening of the ballet boxed in the presence of representatives of all candidates at 8 pm the counting of the votes of first preference was started.The Varanasi division election covers Varanasi, Chandauli, Ghazipur, Jaunpur, Mirzapur, Sonbhadra, Bhadohi and Ballia districts for both constituencies. In Varanasi graduate constituency the total number of votes was 2,88,614 had to decide fate of 24 candidates while 34,899 voters in Varanasi teachers’ constituency had to select their representative from 10 candidates in the fray. However, voter turnout stood at 35.04% for the Graduate seat and 66.72% for the Teacher seat.
