By NNN-PTI,
Bangalore : The stage is set for counting of votes tomorrow in the 224 assembly constituencies that went to polls in three phases in Karnataka state.
The ballots would be counted at 48 centres set up across the state under tight security cover, Chief Electoral Officer M N Vidyashankar said.
Due to the establishment of a well-connected network between the counting centres and the election office, there will be real time announcement of results, he said.
The counting would commence at 8 am and was expected to be completed by 3 pm.
Political parties and their candidates have been waiting for the outcome with bated breath.
Tension seemed to be more palpable in the camps of Congress and BJP which were bidding for power in the state and aspiring to form government on their own.
However, calculations in JDS centred around another fractured verdict, which alone could turn the party once again a key player in the government formation.
An element of suspense has swept all major players in the wake of pre-poll surveys and exit polls failing to project a clear picture. While some surveys gave an edge to BJP and Congress, there was no dearth of predictions of another hung house in the state which witnessed a three-way fractured mandate in 2004.