New Delhi, May 4 -- Votes across 823 seats in four states and a Union territory will be counted on Monday to determine the winners of assembly polls marked by record turnouts on the back of mass deletions of names from voter rolls and high-stakes contests with wider national political ramifications. Counting will begin at 8am in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry in what will be the single biggest day of election results since the 2024 polls. Three of the states - Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala - have never seen a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government and represent the final frontier for the party. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) rules Assam and hopes to return to power for a third consecutive time; in Puducherry, it is attempting a second straight shot at forming the government. The elections are also a test of survival for regional leaders Mamata Banerjee who is seeking a fourth straight term, MK Stalin who is seeking a second consecutive term, and Pinarayi Vijayan who is seeking a third back-to-back term. Counting will begin at 8am with postal ballots, followed by electronic voting machine counting at 8.30 am, with results updated in real time on ECINET and the official election portal. Votes will also be counted in bypolls for eight assembly seats across five states. According to EC data, the two-phase Bengal polls saw a record turnout of 93.05%, the highest in the state's history. The elections were marked by the mass disenfranchisement of all but 1,600-odd people among the 2.71 million people flagged under the controversial logical discrepancy category in the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, also a dubious milestone in independent India's history. Exit polls predict that the BJP is on course for a historic victory in a state defined by Banerjee's dominance over the last 15 years. Both the BJP and the TMC have claimed that the high turnout will help them. West Bengal chief electoral officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal said that all arrangements have been made for a peaceful and transparent counting process. "The counting of votes will be conducted in a free and fair manner. We are fully prepared; there will be no unrest anywhere. Tomorrow's counting will take place peacefully," Agarwal told reporters. Ahead of counting day, security has been intensified across West Bengal. Forces are deployed outside key locations such as Sakhawat Memorial Government Girls' High School in Bhabanipur and Netaji Indoor Stadium, especially after late-night protests by Banerjee and TMC leaders last week. Security has also been strengthened outside the chief electoral officer's office, while additional forces have been deployed in sensitive constituencies, including Falta, where repolling was ordered across all booths for May 21. ECI has also put in place a multi-layered security system for counting centres, including a 100-metre security perimeter, state armed police at entry points, and central armed police forces guarding counting halls and strongrooms. For the first time, a QR code-based Photo Identity Card system through ECINET has been introduced for authorised personnel, including officials, candidates, agents and staff. The poll body has scaled down the number of counting centres this year to 77 from 87 announced earlier, and 108 in 2021, while putting in place a multi-layered security grid. "Comprehensive security arrangements have been made to ensure that counting is conducted in a peaceful, transparent and orderly manner," a senior EC official said. ECI has deployed 165 additional counting observers and 77 police observers. It has introduced stringent access control measures at the counting centres, including banning mobile phones except for returning officers and observers. In Tamil Nadu, the polls saw a turnout of 85.10% with exit polls predicting a break in the state's usual Dravidian duopoly with the entry of actor-turned-politician Vijay. Most exit polls predict that the ruling DMK will return to power but one agency forecast that Vijay's Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam could end up as the single-largest party ahead of the DMK, with the AIADMK a distant third. "All arrangements are in place, including a comprehensive three-tier security plan, for counting of votes at the 62 designated counting centres, chief electoral officer Archana Patnaik said. Approximately 125,000 personnel, which includes officials and micro-observers on vote-counting duty and police, have been deployed. As many as 234 counting halls have been arranged for EVMs. An additional 240 halls have been designated for the counting of postal ballots and electronically transmitted postal ballots (ETPBs). A total of 10,545 counting personnel have been drafted for counting duty, supported by 4,624 micro-observers. ECI has deputed 234 Counting Observers, one for each Assembly constituency, to oversee the counting proceedings....