23 May,2019 08:52 AM IST | | mid-day online correspondent
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The counting of votes for Lok Sabha elections 2019 began at 8 am across India. The results of the electoral war which lasted for nearly 40 days and seven battles, will be out today.
However, Amethi which is a stronghold of the Congress saw Smriti Irani leading against the Congress President Rahul Gandhi. The counting of votes was put on hold due to technical glitches.
The initial trends have supported the exit polls with BJP opening strong with lead in 27+ seats. The Congress alliance is leading on 14 seats while others including Mahagathbandhan is leading on 3 seats.
Amethi is one of the keenly watched constituencies. Varanasi from where Prime Minister Modi is seeking re-election and Amethi represented by Congress president Rahul Gandhi since 2004 are being monitored. Rahul is also contesting from Wayanad in Kerala. His mother Sonia Gandhi is seeking another term from Raebareli.
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Over 8,000 candidates are in the fray for 542 Lok Sabha seats. The election to the Vellore seat in Tamil Nadu was countermanded following the seizure of cash from a godown allegedly belonging to a DMK leader.
In the two-month long election process, leaders cutting across party lines were engaged in a high-decibel campaign, making promises and launching attacks on their opponents in a bid to woo the voters.
Also read: Maharashtra Lok Sabha Election Result 2019 Live Update: Counting begins
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Edited by mid-day online desk with inputs from Agencies