The fate of President District Panchayat in Bageshwar district was declared by lottery as both candidates were held on a tie after the counting of votes. Here Congress supported candidate Harish Chandra Singh and BJP's candidate Govind Singh got 10 votes each in the election for District Panchayat president. The winner was then declared by chit-picking method.
Interestingly, as per the rules of the election commission, the name of the candidate whose chit is picked is declared runner-up while the candidates whose chit remains in the box is declared winner.
In Bageshwar, though, the chit bearing the name of Govind Singh was picked by Returning Officer; he was declared runner-up. The Deputy Commissioner State Election Commission Ajit Singh said that the above elaborated rule is clearly mentioned in the election commission guidelines. He said that this rule ensures transparen