“I just wanted to make sure that it was as memorable for him as possible,” Einkauf said. “I’m hoping that this could be a tradition.”

Though voting concluded at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, announcement of the results was delayed until last night because of the commission’s worries that some students would have problems casting their ballots with the online voting system.

Monteiro said last night that the move was purely precautionary, and that no students reported problems with the system in the final hours of voting.

The commission also wrote in an e-mail Wednesday night that “this race is an exceedingly close one,” even though commission members did not know who was leading at the time or by how much.

After the results came out, Chopra’s leading opponents wished him well.

“I’m proud of my team and my running mate Shira and how hard they worked,” wrote Darst in an e-mail. “I’d also like to congratulate Rohit and his team. I am optimistic that he will make good on his promises.”

“I hope that they follow through on their platform,” agreed Smith campaign manager Ernani J. DeAraujo ’03. “They do know how to get things done.”

“We fought a great campaign,” he added.

Despite the 21-hour lag in reporting the results, the election went off much more smoothly than the general council elections in October, when administrative and technological problems delayed voting for two days and some students were unable to cast ballots.

Chopra, chair of the council’s Student Affairs Committee, and Stannard-Friel, co-chair of the Campus Life Committee, ran on a platform calling for student representation on the Administrative Board, more funds for social events and student input in curricular reform. They will take office Jan. 12.

—Staff writer Alexander J. Blenkinsopp can be reached at blenkins@fas.harvard.edu.