The two-phase 2017 elections to the Manipur Assembly were held on March 4 and March 8 with a voter turnout of 84% on the first day and 86% on the second. While the Congress is seeking a fourth term with Okram Ibobi Singh at the helm, the Bharatiya Janata Party is looking to strengthen its hold in the North-East. There are 60 seats in the state Assembly and the number of seats a party needs to be declared a winner is 31. Exit polls have predicted a win for the BJP, though the party may need support from regional outfits to form the government.

The state has been crippled by an economic blockade, that was called by the the United Naga Council on November 1, 2016. The blockade was called to protest the government’s decision to bifurcate seven districts. Several incidents of violence were reported from the state during the elections. Singh is being challenged in his bastion Thoubal district by civil rights activist Irom Chanu Sharmila. She had recently formed the Peoples’ Resurgence and Justice Alliance after ending a 16-year fast in August 2016. The chief minister’s son Surjakurnar Okram is contesting from the Khangabok constituency. The Left parties are looking to regain ground in the state. The Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) have formed the Left and Democratic Front for the elections. It also includes other smaller outfits.

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Here are the updates as the votes come in:

8.35 am: Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh is leading in Thoubal constituency.

8.04 am: Counting of votes begins.

8.00 am: Irom Sharmila says muscle and money power were openly used by parties in Manipur.

8.00 am: The C-Voter poll predicted 28 seats for the BJP, 20 for Congress and 12 for others. Axis showed a Congress win with 33 seats, BJP at nine and five for the others. According to the CNN-News18’s MRC poll, the BJP should win 25 to 31 seats, the Congress will bag 17 to 23 seats, and the others, including Irom Sharmila’s party, will win 11.