New Delhi: Counting of votes for all the 543 Lok Sabha constituencies began at 0800 hrs IST on Saturday simultaneously all over the country to decide the fate of 8,070 contestants, including 556 women.
Early trends are expected in about an hour at around 0900 hrs IST while the first results are expected around 1100 hrs IST.
There are a total of 1,080 counting centres spread across 28 states and seven union territories with 4,260 counting halls.
The Election Commission has deployed approximately 60,000 counting staff and has also asked the state election officials to compile the number of voters who exercised their 'right to not to vote' during the five-phase long Lok Sabha elections.
Counting has also started for Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Sikkim Assembly elections and for by-elections in some states.
Arrangements have also been made for counting agents of candidates to witness the procedure.
There will be random checking of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) by recounting of two counted machines after every round by micro-observers.
The entire proceedings in the counting hall will be video-graphed and tabulated data will be verified by Election Commission Observers.
Authentic trends and results will be available on a special website http://eciresults.nic.in.
Counting in the 71 districts for 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh began at 0800 hrs. Trends of the counting would be available within 30 minutes after the beginning of the process.
A total of 1,368 candidates were in the fray, including 81 women.
In Maharashtra, which elects second largest number of 48 members to the Lok Sabha, counting at 36 centres began at 0800 hrs.
As many as 819 candidates, including 55 women, were in the fray.
A three-tier security ring has been put in place for counting of votes polled simultaneously for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, at 159 counting centres spread over 60 places across Orissa.
Additional security forces, including Special Operation Group commandos, CRPF, besides the Orissa State Armed Police (OSAP), have been deployed in Naxal-dominated districts of Malkangiri, Navranpur, Koraput, Raigada, Gajapati, Mayurbhanj Keonjhar and Sundargarh.
All border areas with Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Bihar have been sealed.
Counting for the elections conducted in Madhya Pradesh commenced at 0800 hrs and till noon electoral fortunes of 429 candidates will be declared.
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Multi-tier security arrangements have been put in place in all the 40-odd counting centres across Tamil Nadu.
Gun-toting policemen were maintaining round-the-clock vigil in all the counting centres, which had become a veritable security fortress.
Paramilitary forces and Tamil Nadu Special Protection Police personnel would be deployed for security in the counting centres.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made at 34 counting centres for counting of votes polled in 40 Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar.
Counting of votes for the elections held to the 42 Lok Sabha and 294 Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh commenced at 0800 hrs across 106 centres in the three regions of the state.
Counting began at 29 venues in Gujarat at 0800 hrs.
Vote-counting for seven parliamentary constituencies and one Assembly constituency in the National Capital began at 0800 hrs.
In all, eight counting centres have been set up, including two for East Delhi parliamentary constituency and one each for rest six. There are 10 Assembly segments in each of these constituencies.
About 5,000 officials have been engaged on duty, who have been imparted with proper training. At least 2,421 staff members will be available on all the tables, including one counting supervisor, one assistant supervisor and one additional counting staff of the Central Government sitting at each table.
In Karnataka, the process began at 0800 hrs, across all the 35 counting centres, including four in Bangalore and 31 in district headquarters, with the postal votes being taken up first.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) M N Vidyashankar said, ''Results for all 28 constituencies will be out by 1230 hrs. After every round, the results will be updated on boards in front of the centres.''
The counting began at 0800 hrs in the 48 counting centres of Punjab and the first trends are expected within an hour. The final results of all the 13 seats, including the four reserved ones, will be out in the afternoon.
Counting of votes polled in May 7 election in Rajasthan to decide the fate of 346 contestants, including 30 women, is being held at respective district headquarters of all 25 parliamentary constituencies.
Counting of votes of two constituencies-Jaipur and Jaipur Rural-are being held at the state capital.
In Himachal Pradesh, 25 counting centres have been set up for four parliamentary segments in the state where counting began at 0800 hrs.
Counting for 14 Lok Sabha constituencies and the Jamtara Assembly seat in Jharkhand began at 0800 hrs.
In the north-eastern states also, elaborate security arrangements are in place for the counting of votes.
The counting and declaration of results is being done on May 16, which is the state day, the day Sikkim joined the Indian Union in 1975.
Counting for two seats in Goa and one in Puducherry began at 800 hrs.
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