Nagpur: The much-anticipated results of the Vidarbha Sahitya Sangh (VSS) elections, closely watched not only across Vidarbha but also by literary circles beyond the region, will be declared on Sunday. The counting of votes will begin at 9am at the VSS’ Ameya Hall, which is equipped with CCTV surveillance.The poll process began on January 7. Five candidates are in the fray for the post of president: incumbent Pradeep Date, Girish Gandhi, Shripad Bhalchandra Joshi, Dr Ravindra Shobhane, and Dr Ranjan Darwhekar. A total of 83 candidates — representing four panels along with several independents — are contesting for 22 posts of the executive committee. As per VSS poll procedure, ballot papers were sent by post to members across Vidarbha. The deadline for ballot submissions ended on Saturday. Once a close-circle affair during the tenure of the late Manohar Mhaisalkar, the elections this year have witnessed an unusually high number of aspirants, intensifying the contest. The elections witnessed controversy over alleged ballot-snatching and proxy voting, leading some candidates to approach the tribunal. The election has stirred considerable debate and friction within the literary community. With voting concluding at 6pm on Saturday, the focus now shifts to counting, which will reveal where Vidarbha’s literary voters have placed their trust. The counting will be held under the supervision of election officer Mohan Parkhi. Stringent measures have been adopted to ensure transparency, sources said. Votes for the president will be counted on a single table, while six tables will be used to count the ballots of the 83 candidates contesting for the executive committee. Each table will handle 50 to 100 ballot papers. While the result for the post of president may be announced by afternoon, the counting of votes for the 22 executive committee posts may extend into the night, sources said. The VSS had dispatched postal ballots to 7,493 voters. Of these, 2,007 ballots were returned due to incorrect addresses. Later, 506 voters verified their identity and voted. Ultimately, a total of 4,935 voters exercised their voting rights.
