The Pune division Teachers' constituency recorded 85.87% turnout and the Graduates' seat saw 62.78% by 4 pm on October 23. These figures showed a sharp rise compared to the 2020 elections. Many voters cast their ballots across 1,051 total stations. Officials said counting will take place on October 27.
The Pune division Teachers' constituency recorded a turnout of 85.87 per cent by 4 pm on October 23, while turnout in the Graduates' constituency stood at 62.78 per cent, according to data shared by the Pune District Information Office.
The turnout in both constituencies was higher than the final figures recorded in the previous election in 2020, when turnout stood at 58.43 per cent in the Teachers' constituency and 44.87 per cent in the Graduates' constituency by 5 pm.
A total of 53,185 votes were polled in the Teachers' constituency and 2,43,611 in the Graduates' constituency by 4 pm. Voting took place at 310 polling stations for the Teachers' constituency and 741 for the Graduates' constituency. Counting will take place on October 27.
At 2 pm, turnout stood at 57.89 per cent in the Teachers' constituency and 40.60 per cent in the Graduates' constituency. Both figures rose sharply over the next two hours. Final turnout figures for the October 23 polls were not available at the time of reporting.
Minister of Higher and Technical Education Chandrakant Patil and Pune District Collector Jitendra Dudi also cast their votes.
In the Graduates' constituency, BJP candidate Dr Smita Jadhav is contesting against Harshada Deshmukh-Jadhav of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) and Sunil Modi, who is contesting as a rebel from the Shiv Sena.
In the Teachers' constituency, BJP candidate Kaustubh Gawde is challenging sitting Congress MLC Jayant Asgaonkar. Independent candidate Sachin Sanap, who has the support of the BJP's ally Shiv Sena, is also in the fray, as is former MLA Datta Sawant.