Counting of votes begin

Counting of votes for all the 543 Lok Sabha constituencies began at 0800 hrs IST on Saturday simultaneously all over the country to decide the fate of 8,070 contestants, including 556 women. The Election Commission has deployed approximately 60,000 counting staff and has also asked the state election officials to compile the number of voters who exercised their 'right to not to vote' during the five-phase long Lok Sabha elections.