Counting of votes for the Vellore Lok Sabha constituency began at 8 am on Friday at a centre set up on the premises of an engineering college here, with a three-tier security paraphernalia, officials said.
The votes are being counted in a tight security environment which includes deployment of 70 CCTV cameras on the college premises, 35 km from here.
The result are expected to be out by afternoon and will decide if the AIADMK retains the seat or arch rival DMK wrests it.
AIADMK's AC Shanmugam (chief of Puthiya Neethi Katchi, an ally of the ruling party) and DMK's DM Kathir Anand are the key contenders of the total 28 candidates in the fray.
Here are the Live Updates:
- Gap between DMK, AIADMK reduces as DMK leads by over 8,000 votes
- DMK increases gap with AIADMK, leads by over 11,000 votes
- AIADMK closes in, DMK still in lead by over 10,000 votes
AIADMK is closing in the gap in the number of votes as DMK is still in lead but by over 10,000 votes.
DMK candidate DM Kathir Anand so far has 4,04,044 votes and AIADMK candidate AC Shanmugam has 3,93,242, according to the Election Commission website.
- DMK continues to lead by nearly 15,000 votes
Despite AIADMK trying to close in the gap, DMK has taken a huge leap forward with a difference of nearly 15,000 votes.
Counting of votes underway for Vellore Lok Sabha seat: DMK candidate DM Kathir Anand (in file pic) is leading after 11th round of counting. AIADMK candidate AC Shanmugam is trailing by 14,214 votes. #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/9r3f5Iu31T
ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2019
- AIADMK is closing in as DMK leading by nearly 13,000 votes
AIADMK is closing the difference in votes as DMK is now leading by nearly 13,000 votes.
- DMK leads with over 16,000 votes
DMK candidate DM Kathir Anand has 3,15,448 votes so far while AIADMK candidate has 2,99,368 votes so far.
- AIADMK leads in Vellore, neck and neck race on with DMK
The ruling AIADMK is leading over arch rival DMK by a slender margin of 3,162 votes in the election to the Vellore Lok Sabha constituency as per official data of the Election Commission on Friday.
Right from start of the counting this morning, though the AIADMK, was ahead of the DMK, the margin which crossed 15,000 votes with successive rounds dwindled to 6,362 votes by the 10th round.
AIADMK's A C Shanmugam (chief of Puthiya Neethi Katchi, an ally of the ruling party) and DMK's D M Kathir Anand are the key contenders of the total 28 candidates in the fray.
- C Shanmugam of AIADMK takes lead
As the counting of votes is underway, AC Shanmugam of AIADMK has taken the lead. He has got 51,869 votes and DMK has got 50,446 votes. There is a difference of just 1,423 votes.