Voting in the five States were held from February 10 to March 7. (Representational)
The results of the 2022 Legislative Assembly elections in Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Punjab and Uttarakhand are set to be declared on March 10.
Voting in the five States were held from February 10 to March 7. A total of 690 assembly constituencies have voted in two months, with the maximum in UP (403 seats) followed by Punjab (117), Uttarakhand (70), Manipur (60), and Goa (40).
As soon as the counting of votes polled in five states begins at 8 am on Thursday, various news channels, including NDTV, will start broadcasting the latest updates. The results can also be followed on their online platforms or apps.
For viewing of the election results online, a user can also log on to NDTV website or the NDTV app.
The Election Commission (EC) also puts the results on its website and it continuously keeps updating them.
Initial trends will start rolling out soon after the counting begins, but a clear picture will start taking shape only after 10 am. The overall results may come clear by evening or even late at night, particularly in case of a hung Assembly.
The poll panel has deputed Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer as a special officer in Meerut and the Bihar CEO in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary seat, to supervise the counting of votes.
The poll officers have said that all preparations are done for the counting of votes on Thursday. More than 50,000 officials have been deployed for the counting of votes at nearly 1,200 halls in the five states and COVID-9 guidelines will be followed during the exercise that will begin at 8 AM amid tight security, according to officials.
The EC officers said that 671 observers have been appointed to ensure a fair and peaceful counting. Besides, 130 police observers and 10 special observers will be on the ground to ensure the counting process is smooth, the Commission said.
The recently-concluded elections saw a multi-faceted fight in states like Goa, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. Manipur went to polls on February 28 and March 5, while elections in Uttar Pradesh were held in seven phases. The final phase of voting in UP took place on March 7.
Elections were held in Goa, Punjab and Uttarakhand in a single-phase only. While polls were held for Uttarakhand's 70 seats and Goa's 40 seats on February 14, elections were held for all of Punjab's 117 seats on February 20.
Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are in fray for Punjab and Uttarakhand. In Goa, Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress is participating in the legislative assembly elections.
In Uttar Pradesh, BJP, Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party are some of the key parties in the 403-seat contest.
It is a high-stakes election in Uttar Pradesh for the BJP and the Modi government as the state sends the highest number of 80 MPs to Lok Sabha and the party's performance is expected to have a bearing on the next general election slated for 2024.
Several exit polls have forecast a clear majority for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh and for the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab, while predicting a hung assembly in Goa and a tight race between the BJP and the Congress in Uttarakhand. Except for Punjab, all other states were under the BJP.