Counting has begun for national and assembly polls in Andhra Pradesh, where Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is seeking re-election against a strong challenge from his rival, YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy.
Voting for the 175 assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh was held on April 11. This is the first election in the state after it was bifurcated in 2014 and Telangana was carved out.
The polls saw a direct contest between the Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party and the YSR Congress. Pawan Kalyan's Jana Sena Party, which joined hands with Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party and Left parties, is debuting in this election and may make a dent in some seats.
The TDP has 102 lawmakers in the 175-member state assembly while Jagan Reddy's party has 67 lawmakers. The BJP has four legislators.
After Mr Naidu exited the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance last year, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of neglecting Andhra Pradesh, the ruling TDP contested the election without any alliance for the first time in three decades.
A holiday has been declared for the counting of votes in Andhra Pradesh.
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