![election-evm Counting of votes polled in seven phases of Lok Sabha elections and Andhra Pradesh Assembly election begins.](https://thesouthindiatimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/election-evm.jpg)
Counting of votes polled in the April 19 Lok Sabha elections to 39 constituencies in Tamil Nadu began at 8am across the state on Tuesday. Counting began amid a heavy police security in all of the 39 counting centers. Postal ballots were taken up first.
Counting also began in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, which is simultaneously going for Assembly election. The early trends suggest TDP’s lead in Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections and BJP lead in Telangana LS polls.
As many as 950 candidates are in the fray in the 39 Lok Sabha segments in the state, which had a voter turnout of 69.72 per cent in the April 19 single-phase election in Tamil Nadu.
Meanwhile, counting of votes polled on April 19 to elect the lone member from Puducherry to Lok Sabha began amid tight security on Tuesday in all the four regions of Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam of the Union Territory.
Puducherry has two counting centres relating to 23 Assembly segments while Karaikal (having five segments), Mahe and Yanam regions (having one Assembly constituency each) have one counting centre each.
Counting of postal ballots was taken up first and this would be followed by counting of votes polled through EVMs.
There are 26 aspirants in the fray and the contest is between the sitting Member of Parliament V Vaithilingam (Congress) and the senior BJP leader A Namassivayam. The AIADMK’s nominee in the poll battle is G Tamizh Vendhan.
Puducherry went to parliamentary poll in first phase on April 19. Police including the Central Armed Police force were deployed on security duty.
Counting underway in 28 LS constituencies in Karnataka
Counting of votes polled in 28 Lok Sabha segments in Karnataka began at 8 AM on Tuesday. The polls were held in two phases on April 26 and May 7, during which 14 Lok Sabha segments each went for voting.
The counting began at the 29 counting centers in the State at 8 am, and a “clear picture” may emerge by mid-day, officials said.
Elaborate arrangements have been made with the deployment of more than 13,000 staff at the 29 counting centres across Karnataka for the counting of votes for the 28 constituencies, officials said.
Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor lead in postal ballots in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram: Sitting Congress MP from Wayand, Rahul Gandhi, and Shashi Tharoor at Thiruvananthapuram have started off with a lead when postal votes were counted on Tuesday.
Gandhi had won the 2019 polls by the highest margin in Kerala with over 4.37 lakh votes.
Tharoor is aiming for his fourth straight win and is pitted against Minister of State Rajeev Chandrasekhar of BJP and former MP Paniyan Ravindran of CPI.
Kerala has 20 seats and at the 2019 polls, the Congress-led UDF had won 19 seats and the CPI-M-led Left got one seat.