The results of assembly polls in five states will be declared on Tuesday in what is seen as a major test of popularity of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
The trends will start pouring in from 8 a.m and a clear picture is expected to emerge in all the states by 11 a.m.
The results will test the popularity of incumbent governments in Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana as also the potency of challenge of the opposition.
The BJP is in power in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, the Congress in Mizoram and the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) in Telangana.
The Election Commission has set up a secure facility for disseminating trends and results through its new website http://eciresults.nic.in.
The link will start functioning from 8 am and will show updates continuously.
Exit polls conducted so far have predicted the Congress party's return in Rajasthan and a clean sweep for the TRS in Telangana.
The exit polls have also given the Congress an edge over the BJP in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in fiercely-contested battles.
The surveys predicted that Mizoram, the only Northeast state now with the Congress, may see a hung Assembly with the Mizo National Front (MNF) holding the edge.
The outcome will be a test for electoral strategy of Congress President Rahul Gandhi who assumed office in December last year. It will also have a bearing on efforts to forge opposition unity for the 2019 elections and if the Congress will emerge as the natural leader of the proposed front.
Rajasthan
The counting will take place at 35 centers including two centers each in Jaipur and Jodhpur. Nearly 20,000 government staff have been deployed.
Madhya Pradesh
The counting for the assembly election results will start at 8 am and it will be done in 22 rounds. According to reports, 15,000 officers and workers are on duty.
Chhattisgarh
Tight security arrangements have been made at the counting centers in all 27 districts, particularly the Naxal-affected ones, where voting was held in two phases on November 12 and 20 to elect a new 90-member Assembly.
(For latest news & live updates on Assembly election results in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram, click here: https://www.outlookindia.com/)
(With inputs from agencies)
