If two candidates get equal number of votes, who will be the winner? Know how the winner is decided
The results of elections in 5 states of the country will be released on 3 December. Many times such situations arise during counting of votes when it becomes difficult to take a decision. Suppose in the counting of votes, two candidates get equal number of votes on one seat, then how will it be decided who is the winner? Most people do not have information about this question, but the Election Commission has given the solution in its rules.
According to the Election Commission, whenever two candidates get equal number of votes on a seat, there is a rule to decide their fate. Know, what happens in such a situation?
Who will be the winner, this is how it is decided?
Information about what decision should be taken in such a situation is given in the Indian Constitution. Section 102 of the Representation of the People Act of the Constitution says that in case of equal number of votes, the Election Commission conducts a lottery. The candidate whose lottery wins is considered an extra vote. In this way, if one vote increases through lottery, he is declared the winner.
In such a situation, the question is what will happen if three candidates get equal number of votes? The Constitution provides for a coin toss to decide a tie between two candidates, but there is a gray area as to what would happen if three candidates win the same number of votes. The possibility of this is very less but still it can happen, but there is no clear rule regarding this.
When two candidates get equal votes on the same seat
Till now many such cases have come to light, when two candidates got equal number of votes on the same seat. In December 2017, BJP candidate Meera Aggarwal had contested from Ward 56 in the Mathura-Vrindavan Municipal Corporation elections. He got 874 votes. And the Congress candidate also got the same number of votes.
A similar case came to light in February 2017 also. There was a close contest in the BMC elections between BJP candidate Atul Shah and Shiv Sena’s Surendra. In fact, after the first counting of votes, Atul Shah lost the results, after which he challenged the counting of votes and demanded re-counting.
When the votes were counted again, there was a close contest between the two candidates. The opinions of both were equal. To ensure that there were no irregularities in the counting of votes, the counting was done again and this time also there was a tie between the two. After this, Atul Shah was declared the winner through lottery.
Thus, in such cases, the winner is declared through lottery, however, if the candidate feels that there has been an error in the counting of votes, then he can ask for re-counting, but while doing so, he will also have to give valid reasons for the same.
Also read: When exit poll results were declared even before voting, this is the history
