The Election Commission on Thursday has banned celebration and rallies on victory during the counting of votes and declaration of results. In a statement, the poll panel said following the Covid-19 protocol it has "decided to relax the guidelines on victory processions during and after the counting and has withdrawn the blanket ban on victory procession."
"During the period of elections as the COVID situation improved, the Commission gradually relaxed the norms concerning electioneering in consultation with the Union Health Ministry and state governments," the statement said.
The assembly election result for Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa, and Manipur will be out today. The counting of votes has started at 8 am with postal ballots. The counting of electronic voting machines (EVM) has commenced at 8.30 am. Amongst these five states, BJP holds power in four states including Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Goa, and Uttarkhand.