Dehradun, Mar 10 (PTI) Counting of votes for the 70 assembly seats in Uttarakhand began on Thursday amid tight security arrangements.

The polling was held in the state on February 14 with more than 65 per cent of the electorate casting their votes.

Also Read | Punjab Assembly Election Results 2022 Live Updates: Counting of Votes Begins for 117 Seats in Punjab.

The ruling BJP is seeking a second consecutive term in office this time -- something which has never happened in the state's 21-year history.

Routed in the 2017 assembly polls with a tally of 11 seats against the BJP's 57, the Congress is trying to stage a comeback.

Also Read | Goa Assembly Election Results 2022 Live Updates: Counting of Votes Begins For 40 Seats in Goa.

Several political heavyweights are among a total of 632 candidates awaiting what electronic voting machines (EVMs) hold in store for them.

Prominent among them are Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, his cabinet colleagues Satpal Maharaj, Bansidhar Bhagat, Subodh Uniyal, Arvind Pandey, Dhan Singh Rawat and Rekha Arya, besides state BJP president Madan Kaushik.

Important Congress leaders whose fate will be decided include former chief minister Harish Rawat, former minister Yashpal Arya, state Congress president Ganesh Godiyal and Leader of Opposition in the fourth assembly Pritam Singh.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)