Victory by one vote… Counting went on all night

The contest in the 53rd division of Palamuru Corporation turned into a nail-biting battle, with the result changing by a single vote. The fight between the Congress and BJP candidates kept shifting through multiple rounds of counting.

In the initial count, Congress candidate Raghavender secured 816 votes, while BJP candidate Ramesh Kumar received 815 votes, giving Congress a one-vote lead.

The BJP candidate demanded a recount. After brief tension, officials rechecked the votes of the two main contenders. In the second round, Congress votes rose to 818, while BJP votes increased to 819, putting the BJP candidate ahead by one vote.

Subsequently, the Congress candidate insisted on a full recount of all candidates’ votes. Officials agreed, stating that it would be the final count and the outcome must be accepted.

In the third and final counting, Ramesh Kumar of BJP secured 819 votes, while Raghavender of Congress polled 818 votes. The counting process, which began on Friday, continued until 3 a.m. on Saturday. Officials later issued the certificate confirming Ramesh Kumar’s victory by a margin of one vote.