Delay in Gorakhpur updates triggers row

GORAKHPUR/LUCKNOW: Officials in Gorakhpur, the bastion of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, were on Wednesday accused of delaying the announcement of updates during the counting of votes for the Lok Sabha by-election and barring the media, with the issue echoing in the state assembly following a ruckus by the Opposition.

Eyewitnesses alleged that Gorakhpur’s district magistrate Rajeev Rautela, who is also the electoral officer, stopped sharing the updates after the first round of counting even though six rounds were over. Rautela, however, said the process of counting takes time as several officials are involved in it.

“The counting of votes is underway. When ARO (assistant returning officer) sends the counting figures of any round from the five assembly constituencies, it is scrutinised by the returning officer and two observers scrutinise the counting figures manually and digitally and then sign it,” Rautela said .

“Only then is the counting sheet of the entire parliamentary constituency finalised and we announce it,” he added.

Rautela started announcing the updates of every round of counting after a while.

An official privy to the development claimed Rautela also had an argument with observer Madhvi Khorwe Chawre allegedly over some discrepancy in the counting. Reporters were also denied entry to the area where counting of votes was underway and entered into an argument with officials over the delay in announcement.

The UP legislative assembly was adjourned for some time over the issue of the media being kept out of the centre in Gorakhpur.