The counting of votes is likely to begin at 8 am and initial trends will start rolling out soon after.
With polling for the assembly elections done in four states and one Union Territory, all eyes are now on the results to be announced on May 2. The process included some bitter campaigning that lasted for a little over two months.
While polling in West Bengal was held in eight phases, Assam voted in three. Election in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry was held in a single phase on April 6.
The counting of votes is likely to begin at 8 am and the initial trends will start rolling out soon after. Any picture of the performance of the political parties should start taking shape by 10 am. By 5 pm, the final party positioning should be clear.
However, the results for West Bengal Assembly may get delayed by a few hours as the polling was done in eight phases and officials may need extra time to collate all the numbers. The results could also get delayed because of safety concerns of counting officials.
In view of the raging second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the Election Commission has banned all victory processions by political parties after the announcement of results. It has also ordered officials not to allow more than two people to accompany the winning candidate for receiving the certificate of election from the returning officer.
The decisions, however, came amid a criticism of the poll body for not having done enough to restrict the gathering of people to a minimum during election rallies.
The Election Commission had announced the dates for the elections in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry on February 26.