Confusion prevailed at the counting booths as Telangana High Court Suspended the overnight circular issued by SEC instructing the officials to consider ballot papers with a tick mark or any other stamp other than Swastika.
In the line of the orders passed, SEC needs to preserve all ballot papers having ‘distinguish mark’ other than that of the rubber stamp mark provided at the polling stations. If the number of ballot papers with ‘distinguish mark’ exceeds 100, the final result of that division should be kept pending, the order said
The court dealt with the house motion petition moved by the BJP which challenged the EC orders to consider votes with any mark on the ballot paper. The party appealed to the court to cancel the notice issued by the EC.
Meanwhile, the state election commission went for an appeal over the High Court’s orders. The review petition is to be filed that the court should refrain from interfering in the affairs of the State Election Commission and to reconsider the orders.
On the other hand, the result could be delayed only if the number of votes polled (ballots) with other than cross-arrows (swastika) mark is higher than the majority secured by a candidate with ballots, not in question.
