Votes polled for the lone Lok Sabha seat here and an assemby by-election in the Union Territory would be counted amid tight security Thursday, poll officials said.

The PG Centre attached to the Aringar Anna Government Arts College is the counting centre in Karaikal, while the Jawaharlal Nehru Government HSS and the Conference Hall in Mini Civil Station are the centres in Mahe and Yanam respectively for counting of votes polled for the Lok Sabha seat.

Counting will start at 8 am Thursday.

Counting of votes polled in the by-election to the Thattanchavady seat would be held in a separate hall in the Motilal Nehru Government Polytechnic, the official said.

Eighteen candidates are testing their fortunes in the parliamentary poll and they include former Speaker V Vaithilingam (Congress) and doctor-turned-politician K Narayanasamy (AINRC).

There are eight contestants in the fray for the by-election to Thattanchavady assembly constituency. The main fight isbetween P Nedunchezian (AINRC) and K Venkatesan (DMK).

The by-election became necessary after the seat fell vacant following disqualification of the sitting AINRC member Ashok Anand in the wake of his conviction in a disproportionate assets case in October last year.

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