Counting of votes will take place in five States, where Assembly polls were held, on Saturday amid tight security from 8 a.m. Tens of thousands of central forces are deployed at the counting centres.
The Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance in Uttar Pradesh is hoping to stop the BJP juggernaut. The Congress is claiming it will wrest power in Punjab and retain its hold in Uttarakhand and Manipur. The election is also important for the nascent Aam Aadmi Party, which is hoping for success in its maiden outing in Assembly elections outside Delhi and has put up a spirited fight in Punjab and Goa.
In Uttar Pradesh, which has a 403 constituencies, 78 counting centres have been set up in 75 districts. Fifteen counting centres have been established in Uttarakhand, where the strength of the Assembly is 70 .
Votes will be counted at 54 centers in 27 locations in Punjab, which has a 117-member Assembly.
In Goa, votes will be counted at two centres in North and South Goa to declare the winners in 40 seats. In Manipur, counting of votes will be held for 60 seats.
The Election Commission has issued strict guidelines on security arrangements for counting of votes and has prohibited mobile phones inside the counting halls.
In addition to general observers, a micro-observer will be deputed for each and every counting table. A three-tier security arrangement has been made in and around the counting centres.
