The counting of votes for the Assembly elections held last month in West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, Tamil Nadu, and the Union Territory of Puducherry commenced on Monday morning amid tight security. The process began with the counting of postal ballots, with authorities deploying heavy security personnel at counting centres to ensure a smooth and incident-free exercise.
Nationwide attention remains firmly focused on West Bengal, where elections were conducted in two phases for a total of 294 constituencies. Polling for 152 seats was held on April 23, followed by voting in the remaining 142 constituencies on April 29. However, the Election Commission of India ordered a complete re-poll in the Falta constituency, resulting in counting being carried out for 293 seats at present.
Extensive security arrangements have been put in place across all counting centres in West Bengal to prevent any untoward incidents or irregularities during the counting process. Authorities are maintaining strict vigil as the results are expected to have significant political implications at both the state and national levels.
In Tamil Nadu, exit polls have generated considerable interest over the likely outcome of the elections. While some projections indicate a return to power for the DMK alliance led by M. K. Stalin, others suggest that actor-turned-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) could emerge as a significant player. Counting for all 234 constituencies is underway across 62 centres, with the fate of 4,023 candidates set to be decided.
Meanwhile, vote counting is also progressing for 126 constituencies in Assam, 140 seats in Kerala, and 30 seats in Puducherry. In addition, counting has begun for by-elections held in eight constituencies across Goa, Karnataka, Nagaland, Gujarat, and Maharashtra, with results expected to shape the political landscape in the respective regions.