New Delhi: Counting of votes will probably be held on Sunday in the high-stakes Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry meeting elections, overshadowed by the raging COVID pandemic, because the BJP seeks to consolidate its maintain over extra states and the Congress alongside with its allies makes an attempt to regain turf. The counting of votes will start at 8 am and proceed late into the night time. As many as 1,100 counting observers will watch the method and candidates and brokers should produce a damaging COVID take a look at report or double dose of vaccination certificates to get an entry.
There will probably be 2,364 counting halls as in comparison with 1,002 halls in 2016 in 822 meeting constituencies in view of the coronavirus tips, in response to the Election Commission which had drawn flak from the courts over the conduct of polls through the pandemic.
At least 15 rounds of sanitisation will probably be carried out at every centre, apart from social distancing and different precautions, together with a ban on gatherings, will probably be strictly adopted through the counting by 95,000 officers, officers stated.
Exit Polls predicted an in depth contest between Trinamool Congress, BJP in West Bengal
Exit polls have forecast a good contest between the incumbent Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress and the BJP in the essential West Bengal meeting polls and put the ruling saffron mix forward in Assam whereas projecting that the Left alliance will retain Kerala, a feat unseen in 4 many years.
For the Congress, the exit polls predicted that it could fall quick in Assam and Kerala and lose in Puducherry to the opposition alliance of AINRC-BJP-AIADMK.
The solely excellent news for the Congress was from Tamil Nadu, the place the exit polls predicted that the DMK-led opposition alliance, of which it’s a half, will trounce the AIADMK-BJP coalition.
The ballot results in the 4 states and the UT are additionally prone to replicate how the dealing with of the COVID pandemic has performed on the voters’ thoughts.
Polling was held in eight phases in West Bengal between March 27 and April 29, in Assam in three levels on March 27, April 1 and 6, whereas votes had been solid in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and the Union Territory of Puducherry in a single part on April 6, when the COVID surge had begun in many of the states.
Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are among the many 11 states that account for 78.22 per cent of the full energetic instances, in response to the Health Ministry.
West Bengal
West Bengal can have the utmost quantity of 1,113 counting halls, Kerala 633, Assam 331, Tamil Nadu 256 and Puducherry 31, the EC stated. A 3-tier safety association is in place in West Bengal’s counting centres and 256 corporations of central forces deployed throughout 23 districts of the state that voted in a gruelling election marred by violence and cruel private assaults.
The outcome will determine whether or not Mamata Banerjee, who has been in energy for 10 years and is arguably combating the hardest ballot of her political profession, has been in a position to thwart the problem by the battle-hardened election military of the BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
The BJP, which had simply three seats in the 294-member Assembly after the polls and went to win 18 out of 42 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, had pulled out all of the stops in the state in a decided bid to oust Banerjee, a vocal critic of Prime Minister Modi, and add one other state to its tally of 17. The Left-Congress alliance is the third fundamental contestant in the state.
Tamil Nadu
In Tamil Nadu, each Dravidian events — AIADMK and DMK — went into the election with out their stalwarts, J Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi. Chief Minister Ok Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam will cement their place as successors of Jayalalithaa if the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (AIADMK) retains energy although it faces an uphill process particularly after the rout in the 2019 Lok Sabha election when the DMK-led alliance gained 38 out of 39 seats.
The AIADMK had scored successive wins in 2011 and in 2016, when Jayalalithaa bucked the anti-incumbency development — the primary by anybody in practically three many years in the state. After a slim defeat in the final meeting election the place a number of exit polls had predicted his celebration’s win, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief M Ok Stalin spearheaded a decided election marketing campaign this time and vigorously toured the state to tackle the ruling AIADMK.
AIADMK ally BJP, which had not gained any seat in the final polls, is contesting in 20 constituencies. Another AIADMK ally PMK is contesting from 23 constituencies. The Congress, an ally of the DMK, is in the fray in 25 Assembly segments. Actor-politician Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam-led mix can also be in the fray. There are 75 counting centres throughout the state and all preparations are in place to easily conduct the train, which might be monitored by observers, authorities stated.
Kerala
In Kerala, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) is searching for to interrupt the state’s four-decade-old development of swinging between the communists and the Congress-led United Democratic Front. As many as 957 candidates, together with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, 11 of his Cabinet colleagues, Opposition chief Ramesh Chennithala, senior Congress chief Oommen Chandy, ‘Metroman’ E Sreedharan, former Union Minister Ok J Alphons and BJP State president Ok Surendran, amongst others, had been in fray in the election to the 140 seats.
The BJP, which had gained one seat in 2016, is assured of garnering extra seats this time. The ballot is critical for Kerala Congress (M) chief Jose Ok Mani who not too long ago snapped decades-long ties with the UDF and joined arms with the Left entrance. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi had camped in the state for a number of days and brought half in dozens of nook conferences and rallies, with the celebration hoping that the state will herald a flip in its electoral fortunes after a collection of disappointments in current years.
Assam
In Assam, the ruling BJP is going through a problem from ‘Mahajoth’ or ‘Grand Alliance’ comprising the Congress, AIUDF, Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF), CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML) Liberation, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Anchalik Gana Morcha (AGM).
The BJP has an alliance with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) and the Gana Suraksha Party (GSP),
The saffron celebration had scripted historical past by successful the historically Congress-dominated state in 2016, after remaining on the fringes.
Puducherry
In Puducherry, the AINRC-led NDA and the Congress-led Secular Democratic alliance are in a contest. While AINRC fielded candidates in 16 of the full 30 constituencies the BJP is contesting 9 seats whereas the AIADMK is contesting 5 seats.
The Congress-led authorities in the Union Territory had collapsed simply earlier than the elections. Counting may also be held in 4 Lok Sabha seats and 13 meeting seats throughout 13 states the place bypolls had been held. The EC has banned victory roadshows and car rallies.
India’s every day coronavirus tally crossed the grim milestone of 4 lakh on Saturday, whereas the dying toll rose to 2,11,853 with 3,523 recent fatalities. The an infection tally rose to 1,91,64,969 with 4,01,993 new instances, whereas the energetic instances crossed the 32-lakh mark.
(With PTI inputs)
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