Two candidates who lost on EVM votes, but won due to postal votes

Two candidates won the 2024 Lok Sabha elections despite losing on the votes cast on the electronic voting machines (EVMs).

While these two candidates secured fewer EVM votes than their nearest rivals, they won on the grounds of postal ballots.

Ravindra Dattaram Waikar of the Shiv Sena and Rabindra Narayan Behera of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the polls as postal ballots cast for them took them beyond their nearest rivals — even as their EVM votes were fewer.

While Waikar won from the Mumbai North West seat in Maharashtra, Behera won from the Jajpur seat in Odisha.

Postal ballots are usually used for voting by government employees posted far from their constituencies, prisoners, and those on election duty.

How Shiv Sena’s Ravindra Waikar won thriller 

In Maharashtra’s Mumbai North West seat, Waikar defeated his nearest rival, Amol Gajanan Kirtikar of the Shiv Sena (UBT), by just 48 votes — the lowest margin in the state.

For much of the day as EVMs were counted, Kirtikar of the Shiv Sena (UBT) was in the lead. The Times of India reported that the lead was around 1,700 by 4 pm. Even celebrations began at the venue of the counting of votes, but the lead began to shrink as the counting progressed. By the end, the lead was just of one vote — Kirtikar got 4,51,095 votes against 4,51,094 of Waikar.

Then, the postal ballots were factored in and the situation flipped.

While Waikar had 1,550 postal ballots cast for him, Kirtikar had 1,501, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI). This meant that Waikar won.

The final count after ballots were factored in showed that Waikar had 4,52,644 and Kirtikar had 4,52,596.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) has said it will challenge the result in the court, according to ToI.

How BJP’s Rabindra Behera won despite losing EVM votes

The BJP’s Rabindra Narayan Behera received 496 fewer EVM votes than his nearest rival Sarmistha Sethi of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and yet he won.

Behere won after postal ballots were factored in. While he polled 5,280 votes by ballots, Sethi polled 3,224.

The final count stood as Behera’s 5,34,239 as against Sethi’s 5,32,652.