A scene was seen in the Dubak Municipality elections in Siddipet district of Telangana which is rarely seen in any election. When the counting of votes was completed in this exciting contest between BJP and BRS candidates in Ward No. 3, everyone was surprised. Both the candidates received equal number of votes and ultimately the officials had to rely on luck to decide the winner.
This election of Ward No. 3 was very much discussed from the beginning. Both BJP and BRS had campaigned vigorously on this seat and both the candidates had tried hard. The atmosphere was tense since the counting of votes started. When the counting was done for the first time, both had equal number of votes. On the demand of the candidates, the officials took precautions and got the recount done, but the result remained the same. Then even when the votes were counted for the third time, there was no change in the figures and both the candidates remained in equal position.
How was the victory decided among the candidates?
According to election rules, when two candidates get equal number of votes, the winner is decided by drawing lots, which is called the method of ‘lucky draw’ or lottery. The officials followed the same procedure and the papers bearing the names of both the candidates were put in a box and taken out. In this historic moment when the name of the BRS candidate was released, he was officially declared the winner. The BJP candidate faced defeat, although both the rivals accepted the result peacefully.
Such situations have occurred before in electoral history.
Such situations have arisen many times in Indian electoral history, but this incident is also special because such a close contest and then a decision by fate is a rare incident in the municipal elections of Telangana. In the last few years, such cases have also come to light in different parts of the country, where the winner was decided through lottery method.
This is a unique aspect of the democratic process, where despite hard work and campaigning, sometimes the decision goes into the hands of luck. This election of Dubak proved that sometimes in electoral politics the final result can be something that no one could have predicted.
