Assembly elections: D-Day on Thursday as results for 5 states to be declared

The over one-month-long election season will come to an end on Thursday as the results for Assembly elections held in five states -- Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa -- will be declared.
 
The Election Commission (EC) has deployed over 50,000 officials for counting of votes at nearly 12,000 halls. Officials said COVID-19 guidelines will be followed during the counting exercise that will begin at 8 am in the states.
 
On the eve of the counting of votes, the EC announced the removal of three officials, including the nodal officer for EVMs in Varanasi after a massive controversy erupted over Samajwadi Party's allegation that electronic voting machines were being shifted in an unauthorised manner.
 
While the political parties will eagerly await the results for all five states, the market and the country will closely watch the results of the politically-important state of Uttar Pradesh which sends the highest number of MPs (80) to the Parliament.
 
The elections to UP are also significant as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is an MP from Varanasi in the state.
 
According to India Today - Axis My India exit poll, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to get a comfortable majority in Uttar Pradesh which has 403 assembly constituencies.
 
BJP is predicted to win 288-326 seats in the state, according to the exit poll. The Samajwadi Party (SP), led by former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, is likely to end at the second spot, winning 71-101 seats in the 403-member assembly.
 
Meanwhile, Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is expected to sweep Punjab, its first major expansion outside Delhi. The party is predicted to get a 41 per cent vote share, translating into 76-90 seats in the 117-member assembly. Congress, the incumbent party, could get 19-31 seats with a vote share of 23 per cent, Axis My India exit poll predicted.
 
Also Read: BJP set to regain majority in Uttar Pradesh: Axis My India exit poll

In Uttarakhand, the exit poll predicted that BJP will lose some seats but will retain power. The ruling party is predicted to win 36-46 seats in the 70-member assembly with a 44 per cent vote share, while Congress is likely to bag 20-30 seats with a vote share of 40 per cent. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is predicted to win 2-4 seats in the state.
 
Goa is likely to see a hung assembly with no party or alliance getting a majority in the 40-member assembly, the India Today - Axis My India exit poll predicted. 
 
The alliance of Congress and Goa Forward Party (GFP) is predicted to win 15-20 seats, while the ruling BJP is likely to win 14-18 seats. The alliance of Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) is predicted to end at the third spot, bagging 2-5 seats, while others are expected to win 0-4 seats.
 
Considering the possibility of hung assembly, the Congress has shifted all its candidates in the coastal state to a luxury resort in Bambolim village near Panaji ahead of counting of votes.
 
As the elections can throw up surprises due to multi-cornered contests, the political parties have dispatched senior leaders to the states and are also wooing other parties to ensure that they get the better of their rival claimant in case outside support is needed to form a government.
 
In the NorthEastern state of Manipur, the ruling BJP is predicted to win 33-43 seats with a 41 per cent vote share in the 60-member assembly. Congress is seen bagging 4-8 seats with 18 per cent votes, according to India Today - Axis My India exit poll.
 
The National People's Party (NPP) and the Naga People's Front (NPF) are predicted to win 4-8 seats each. While NPP's vote share is seen at 16 per cent, for NPF it is expected to be at 8 per cent.
 
The voting in the five states was held between February 10 and March 7.
 
Where to watch live TV coverage of election results?
 
Watch the live TV coverage and catch all live updates of election results on India Today TV and Aaj Tak from 6 am onwards on Thursday.

Also Read: BJP to retain Manipur, get a clear majority: Axis My India exit poll