All preparations are on for counting of votes tomorrow in the Lok Sabha elections. In all about 8000 thousand candidates are in the fray for 543 Lok Sabha seats.

Counting of votes for assembly polls to 4 states – Arunachal Pradesh,Odisha,Sikkim and Andhra Pradesh will also be held simultaneously.

Election Commission says, votes polled in the nine-phased Lok Sabha elections and the Assembly polls will be taken up at 8 AM with postal ballots first and Electronic Voting Machies, EVMS later. Counting will be taken up in 989 centres.

The counting is likely to be completed by 5 PM but trends will be available by 11 AM or before. By noon, a rather clear picture could emerge on who would be the major players in the 16th Lok Sabha.

This is the first time the option of 'none of the above' or NOTA is introduced on the EVMs following Supreme Court directions.

The Lok Sabha elections this time witnessed the highest-ever turnout with 66.38 per cent of an estimated 814 million voters exercising their franchise – the highest ever in the history of general elections.

In Chennai, political leaders have been holding meetings with their party bigwigs on post poll strategies to be implemented..