UP polls: Counting of votes begins

Counting of votes in 402 of the 403 constituencies of the Uttar Pradesh assembly began amid tight security arrangements on Friday morning.

The polling for Khaga assembly seat in Fatehpur district has been contermanded following death of the Congress candidate in a road accident.

Voting in Khaga would now take place on May 24. The fate of 6,070 candidates, including chief minister and Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav will be decided on Friday.

The polling percentage in all the seven phase of polling was around 46 per cent. The total number of electorate was 11.21 crore.

Besides Yadav, the political fortunes of his brother Shivpal Singh Yadav, rebel SP leader Beni Prasad Verma, state Bharatiya Janata Party chief Kesri Nath Tripathi, Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Salman Khursheed's wife Louis Khursheed and Apna Dal chief Sonelal Patel would also be decided today.

The first results are expected around 1100 hours, election office sources in Lucknow said.

The Election Commission has made elaborate arrangements for the counting of votes and has directed random checking of ballots after each round and deployment of counting staff.

The commission has decided to deploy staff on counting duty at short notice and they would be told about their duties only just before counting to check chances of manipulation, state election office sources said.

After each round of counting, the observers would randomly select two tables and count votes from the EVM and tally them with the counting staff, they said.      

This would minimise chances of any foul play and make the counting process fool proof, they said, adding strict action will be initiated against those who would not perform their duties sincerely.

Principal Secretary (Home) K Chandramauli said that over 200 companies of central forces have been deployed in the state for the counting of votes.