Lok Sabha poll counting to begin at 8 am today

The counting of votes would commence at 8am, starting with postal ballot papers. The counting of votes from EVMs would start 30 minutes after the commencement of postal ballot counting.

Only those postal ballots received by the Returning Officer before the hour fixed for the commencement of counting will be taken up.

Chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar told reporters on Monday that over 64 crore people exercised their franchise in the Lok Sabha elections held in seven phases.

Most of the exit polls suggest a landslide victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is eyeing a third successive term in the office.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 303 seats, crossing the halfway mark of 272 on its own while its allies secured 50 more seats. The opposition Congress party won in 52 Lok Sabha seats, with its allies taking another 91.