New Delhi

Ahead of the counting of the votes, Congress MP and party candidate from Chandigarh Manish Tewari on Tuesday said that whatever the decision of the Lok Sabha elections comes he will "respect" that, adding that this is the capability of Indian democracy.

"It is Tuesday, Hanuman's day. People have expressed their opinions. The opinions are locked in the EVMs. The EVMs will open and the opinion will come out. Whatever the people's decision will be, everyone should accept it with respect. This is the capability of Indian democracy," Tiwary said.

The mammoth exercise to count votes polled for the Lok Sabha seats in the 2024 elections will begin at 8 am on Tuesday.

Trends and results will begin from 8 am today.

Results of the Assembly elections in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh were held simultaneously with voting for the 543-member Lok Sabha. Results of 175 Assembly constituencies in Andhra Pradesh and 147 Assembly constituencies in Odisha and results of bypolls in 25 Assembly constituencies will also be declared today.

Strict security has been put in place for the smooth conduct of counting of votes for over 8,000 candidates in this general election.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will seek a third consecutive term in government, while the Congress-led opposition aims to unseat them.

Most exit polls have predicted a return of PM Modi to power, a development which will make him the first Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to secure a third successive term in power.

Meanwhile, a delegation of Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc leaders met with the Election Commission of India urging it to ensure that postal ballots are counted and their results declared before the outcome of the EVMs is announced.

Delhi traffic police issued a fresh advisory ahead of the counting of votes scheduled for Tuesday, listing key roads where traffic restrictions and diversions will start from 5 am onwards to ensure smooth vehicular movement.

Two polls predicted the BJP would also improve its numbers from the 303 seats it won in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

In the 2019 elections, NDA wrested 353 seats, of which the BJP won 303 alone. The Opposition's UPA got only 93 seats of which the Congress got 52.

The Lok Sabha elections were conducted in seven phases- on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1.