Counting has begun for 175 constituencies in Andhra Pradesh and 147 in Odisha. Odisha's Assembly polls were held alongside the Lok Sabha elections, with the BJP and the BJD, led by long-time Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, in a tight contest. In Andhra Pradesh, the YSRCP faces the elections. A total of 3.33 crore votes were cast for both the 175-member Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats on May 13. Additionally, 4.61 lakh postal ballots were used, 26,473 voters voted from home, and 26,721 service voters cast their votes electronically.

India set a world record with 64.2 crore voters, including 31.2 crore women, participating in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced. The massive electoral exercise involved over 68,000 monitoring teams and 1.5 crore polling and security personnel. Additionally, nearly four lakh vehicles, 135 special trains, and 1,692 air sorties were utilized. Addressing memes calling election commissioners 'Laapataa Gentlemen', Kumar humorously noted, "We were always here, never went missing." The Chief Election Commissioner emphasized the unprecedented scale and coordination required to conduct the world's largest democratic exercise.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has accused the district administration and police in Uttar Pradesh of illegally confining opposition workers to their homes, preventing them from participating in vote counting. In a post on his official X handle, Yadav named districts like Mirzapur, Aligarh, and Kannauj where such incidents allegedly occurred. He called on the Supreme Court, Election Commission, and state officials to intervene and release the detained individuals. Yadav stressed the need for impartiality in governance and urged the removal of biased officials to ensure a peaceful and fair vote-counting process.

Today marks the conclusion of the months-long Lok Sabha elections, with vote counting set to begin in a few hours. The nation awaits to see if the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will secure another term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Attention is also focused on whether the Opposition's INDIA bloc can overturn the exit polls and achieve an unexpected victory. The results of this election are crucial, determining the future political landscape of India. All eyes are on the counting process, as the final verdict will soon reveal the voters' choice and the direction in which the country will head.

In just a few hours, the Lok Sabha election results will unfold. Exit polls suggest a significant win for the BJP-led NDA, possibly securing 350-400 seats. Prime Minister Narendra Modi may secure a historic third term, matching Jawaharlal Nehru's record. The election, conducted over seven phases from April 19 to June 1, saw a turnout of about 642 million voters, with 312 million women participating. Counting begins at 8 am on June 4, with results available on the Election Commission of India's website and Voter Helpline App.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar defends the integrity of India's election process, dismissing claims of errors in voter turnout data. Opposition parties, including Congress, questioned the delay in releasing final figures. Kumar asserts the robustness of the counting mechanism and dares critics to provide evidence of malpractice. He assures the transparency of the process, highlighting the precedence of postal ballot counting before EVMs. Kumar's statements follow a meeting with opposition leaders regarding counting guidelines. The ECI addresses concerns raised by Congress over alleged calls to district magistrates before vote counting.

Delhi minister Atishi accused the BJP of harassing CM Arvind Kejriwal in Tihar Jail, saying he wasn't provided a cooler despite extreme heat. Kejriwal surrendered on Sunday after his interim bail ended. A Tihar official responded, stating coolers are only given by court order for unwell inmates. Atishi also highlighted discrepancies in Kejriwal's weight measurements during his medical check-up. The official noted Kejriwal's weight was 64 kg when he was released on May 10, the same as when measured on Sunday. Kejriwal's health is being monitored by doctors, and he spoke to his wife on Monday.

BRS leader K Kavitha is accused of laundering ₹300 crore in the Delhi excise policy scam, says the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Kavitha allegedly paid ₹100 crore as kickbacks to AAP leaders and deleted evidence from her phone. The total laundered amount is ₹1,100 crore. The ED's chargesheet claims Kavitha conspired with others to generate and hide proceeds of crime. Her judicial custody is extended till July 3. Kavitha, daughter of ex-Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao, was arrested on March 15. The ED also accused her of influencing witnesses and destroying digital evidence.

Top leaders of the INDIA bloc will meet in Delhi after the Lok Sabha election results are announced tomorrow. The meeting will take place either tomorrow evening or Wednesday morning. The leaders plan to discuss their strategy post-results. On June 1, leaders from various INDIA bloc parties met at Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge's residence. Key leaders from Congress, AAP, Samajwadi Party, and others attended, while Mamata Banerjee and Mehbooba Mufti were absent. Kharge predicted the INDIA bloc would win over 295 seats, but exit polls suggest a BJP-led NDA victory with 379 seats.

Maharashtra MLA Ravi Rana predicted Uddhav Thackeray will rejoin the BJP-led alliance by June 20, two weeks after Narendra Modi's anticipated re-election as Prime Minister. Rana claims Thackeray recognizes Modi's influence and will align with him. This prediction follows a rocky history between Thackeray's Shiv Sena and the BJP since their 2019 split. Sanjay Raut, a key Thackeray aide, dismissed Rana's claim, emphasizing Thackeray's independent leadership. Union Minister Ramdas Athawale cautiously supported the possibility. Meanwhile, Rana also expressed confidence in his wife, Navneet Rana, retaining her Amravati Lok Sabha seat.