Elections 2022: Counting of votes begins in UP, 4 other states; what to expect 

Election result expectation: The counting of votes in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa began at 8 am on Thursday. Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place for the counting of votes in these states whereas the police have been deployed in sensitive areas.  

Elections in Uttar Pradesh are being keenly watched by both voters and experts as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is an MP from Varanasi. Uttar Pradesh also sends the highest number of MPs –80—to the Parliament. Early trends show a lead for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh and Goa whereas the early trends for Uttarakhand show a lead for the Harish Rawat-led Congress.  

In case of Punjab, Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has emerged as a leader as per the initial trends. The AAP has 23 seats as of now with Congress following close by at 17 seats. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BJP have 5 and 2 seats respectively.  

As per early trends, Yogi Adityanath-ked BJP has won 66 seats in Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party has bagged 58 seats and Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party has 2 seats as of now.  

So far, Congress has not been able to secure a single seat in the country’s most populous state, as per India Today. Others have a single seat in Uttar Pradesh.  

In Goa, the BJP has 16 seats while Congress has 20. AAP has not been able to secure a single seat whereas TMC has managed to secure 4 seats so far. In Uttarakhand, the Congress is leading as of now with 13 seats whereas the saffron party has 12 seats.  

Also read: Election Results: How, when and where to watch live TV coverage on Aaj Tak, India Today

Also read: Election Results 2022: UP, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur; What to expect?