Mumbai, Oct 17 (IANS): The election for the post of Congress President ended in Maharashtra on Monday with 96 per cent of the delegates casting their votes in the state, an official said here.

Of the total 561 eligible voters in Maharashtra, 542 cast their votes, including by postal ballots, at three polling stations erected in the state Congress headquarters, for the two candidates in the fray, senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Shashi Tharoor.

The Returning Officer for the state was former Union Minister M.M. Pallam Raju and his team of Dinesh Kumar, Narendra Rawat and others while Krishna Punia oversaw the elections.

All voters (delegates) were granted entry to the polling stations only after verification of their barcoded identity cards with photos, issued by the AICC.

Among the prominent voters were state Congress President Nana Patole, Congress Legislature Party chief Balasaheb Thorat, three former Chief Ministers - Sushilkumar Shinde, Prithviraj Chavan, Ashok Chavan, several ex-ministers, state and district leaders and other eligible delegates.

As many of the regional representatives were busy with the Bharat Jodo Yatra, they voted in the yatra polling station organised there, while those appointed as election officers in other states cast their votes via postal ballots.

The ballot boxes were sealed and will be despatched to New Delhi accompanied by the polling agents, state election officers and other office-bearers.

The counting of the ballots shall be conducted on October 19 and the results are expected the same day, a party spokesperson said.