The counting of votes for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in 403 constituencies began on Thursday at 8 am.
Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place for the counting of votes for the Uttar Pradesh polls in the state while the police are keeping a close eye on the sensitive areas.
The electorally-crucial state witnessed a multi-cornered contest with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Samajwadi Party (SP), Congress, and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) vying for the popular mandate.
In the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly, the magic figure is 202 and the exit polls have predicted the BJP's victory, retaining power in the state with its allies, which will be an unprecedented second term.
However, pollsters have also predicted that the BJP's tally would be less than its strength after the 2017 elections. The SP which fought the polls in alliance with the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and some other parties would improve its performance, the exit polls predicted.
Assembly elections were held in Uttar Pradesh from February 10 to March 7 in seven phases to elect 403 members of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly.
( With inputs from ANI )
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