Counting of votes for Assembly elections in five states – Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand – has begun, with the Bharatiya Janata Party widely expected to win at least three of the states.
Exit polls predict the BJP will retain UP and Manipur, and probably Uttarakhand as well, with the race for Goa set to go down to the wire with the Congress. The big surprise is in Punjab, where Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party is expected to win.
Votes will be counted – while following Covid protocols – for all states with postal ballots first up. Initial trends are expected to emerge within a couple of hours, but it will likely be several hours before a complete picture emerges for each state, particularly in Goa, where exit polls predict a hung Assembly.
Allegations of fraud and tampering of EVMs (electronic voting machines) have already begun, with Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party accusing officials in UP’s Varanasi of illegally transporting the machines.
Three officials have been removed from election duty following the complaint – a nodal officer for EVMs in Varanasi, a returning officer (RO) in Sonbhadra district, and an additional election officer in Bareilly district.
Over 50,000 officials have been deployed across 1,200 counting rooms in the five states. UP has the most counting rooms (750) followed by Punjab (200).
Security has also been increased at several cities in UP, including Prayagraj, where four-layered protection has been set up around Mundera Mandi, where counting of votes for the cities 12 Assembly constituencies will take place.
The Varanasi District Magistrate, as well as the Election Commission of India, brushed aside the allegations, saying the machines were meant for ‘training purpose” and were being transported in a truck.
