Counting of votes for the high-stakes Gujarat Assembly polls began Thursday morning at 37 counting centres amid tight security and in the presence of the Election Commission of India-appointed observers across the state.

While counting of postal ballots began at 8 am, counting of EVM votes will begin at 8.30 am, an official said.

The Commission has made elaborate security arrangements to ensure a smooth counting process. The entire counting process is being videotaped.

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Altogether 182 counting observers and as many election officials are on duty at the counting centres, and each counting table has a micro-observer, a counting supervisor and a counting assistant.

The state Assembly polls were held in two phases, with polling for the first phase in 89 seats held on December 1, and for the remaining 93 seats on December 5.

The elections witnessed a turnout of 64.33 per cent, around 4 per cent less than the previous Assembly polls in 2017. Of the 4.9 crore registered voters, only 3.16 crore voted in the 2022 elections.

The ruling BJP contested all 182 seats, while the new entrant in the state’s political landscape, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), contested 181 seats. The main Opposition party, the Congress, contested 179 seats, while its alliance partner, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), contested two seats.

A total of 1,621 candidates were in the fray.

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