The counting of votes in the 70-constituency-state, which voted on February 14, started at 8 am on Thursday. The state recorded a voter turnout of 59.51 per cent. In 2017, riding the Modi wave, the BJP managed to win 57 of the total 70 Assembly seats while the Congress won just 11.

 

The anti-incumbency factor in the state has not let any party retain power since its formation in 2000. But if the BJP manages to hold on to power, it will be a record of sorts.

 

The battle is tough for both contenders — the incumbent Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and former Congress CM Harish Rawat– who are trailing in their respective seats. With exit polls predicting that Uttarakhand results would end in a dead heat, the BJP and a rejuvenated Congress were bracing for a hung assembly.

 

While some pollsters gave the ruling BJP an edge, others predicted that Congress would emerge as the single largest party. None of the polls gave either side more than 40 seats.