Early trends show that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is leading in 81 seats.

Led by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, the party was formed in 2013 and has won two consecutive terms to govern the national capital. Its popularity is bolstered by the its hard stance on corruption and its focus on healthcare and education.

In Punjab, Mr Kejriwal seems to be banking on this track record as he projects himself and his candidates as crusaders of change, urging voters to “give one chance” to the party.

Click hereto follow results from all five states.

Aparna Alluri
BBC News, Delhi

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Employment is one of the biggest issues in Uttar Pradesh, one of India’s poorest states. Low investment in education, industry and infrastructure over the years has meant most graduates still rely on a shrinking pool of government jobs.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has made tall claims of having created plenty of new jobs and points to a drop in the state’s unemployment rate - from 18% in June 2016, a year before he came to power, to 4.9% by the end of 2021.

But experts say the unemployment rate - which measures the number of out-of-work people among those actively looking for jobs - by itself is a misleading figure. They point to the state’s labour force participation rate, which - at 34% in December 2021 - was below an already poor Indian average of 40%.

It suggests that beyond the millions who are unemployed, there are millions more who have simply dropped out of the labour force - a pan-India problem, exacerbated in poorer states like Uttar Pradesh.

Opposition parties made unemployment a big issue and it will be interesting to see if it had an impact.

Zoya Mateen
BBC News, Delhi

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The elections in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh come on the heels of one of India’s longest farmers-led agitations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration approved reforms in late 2020 that triggered year-long protests by thousands of farmers - mostly Sikhs from Punjab - who camped on the outskirts of Delhi through the biting cold, unforgiving heat and and a devastating Covid wave.

The demonstrations were the biggest challenge to Mr Modi's government since he came to power in 2014 - a challenge big enough to force him to make a rare retreat. After insisting the reforms were necessary for months, the government withdrew them in November 2021.

The move - just three months before the elections - was widely seen as a last-ditch attempt to assuage the anger of a community that forms an influential voting bloc in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

Interestingly, farm leaders are also in the fray. But observers say the alliance is unlikely to record significant wins.

Now that the laws have been rolled back, experts wonder if the protests would find resonance among the states' other voters who are concerned about a variety of other issues, from rising prices to joblessness.

More than 180 million votes in five Indian states are being counted to determine the winners.

Early trends show that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP is leading in the bellwether state of Uttar Pradesh.

Click here to follow results from all five states.

Geeta Pandey
BBC News, Delhi

It’s been a fairly crowded election in India’s most politically crucial state. These are the main contenders:

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Incumbent chief minister Yogi Adityanath, 49, is the face of the BJP. A polarising saffron-robed Hindu monk-turned politician, he is known for his divisive views. He claims to have created plenty of jobs, boosted the economy and improved law and order. Lending him a helping hand is PM Narendra Modi who has made nearly a dozen trips to campaign in the state in recent months.

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Akhilesh Yadav, the 48-year-old former chief minister ousted by the BJP in 2017, is Mr Adityanath's main challenger. He heads the Samajwadi Party, a regional power for decades. Mr Yadav has promised free electricity to everyone, pensions for poor women and interest-free loans to farmers if he's voted into power.

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Mayawati, a Dalit icon and chief of the Bahujan Samaj Party, is also seeking a comeback. The four-time state chief minister lost power in 2012 and has since been pushed to the sidelines. She has maintained a low profile this election season. While she is popular among her community, she was criticised in her earlier stints for spending millions of dollars to build statues of herself and other Dalit icons.

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The Congress has grabbed some attention because of an energetic campaign by Priyanka Gandhi. She visited families of victims of sexual violence and police atrocities; and her focus on female voters has made headlines. While her personal stock - as a member of the Gandhi family - is high, the party has little support on the ground.

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The exit polls have predicted a sweep for India's governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh, and for the Aam Admi Party (AAP) in Punjab, and a tight race in the three other states where votes are being counted.

Exit polls, however, have been wrong in the past.

In Uttar Pradesh, the polls have unanimously given India's governing Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance a decisive win - the party is pegged to win anywhere between 242 to 300 seats in the 403-member assembly. Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party(SP) is poised to finish second with about 140 seats.

Pollsters have predicted a remarkable win for AAP in Punjab, giving the party anywhere between 63 to 90 seats in the 117-seat assembly. The incumbent Congress party is expected to finish second with 25 to 28 seats. The BJP, which has joined hands with former chief minister Amarinder Singh, is pegged to win not more than five seats.

Uttarakhand is expected to witness a close fight between the BJP and the Congress. The BJP could win 35 to 46 seats in the 70-member assembly, while the Congress is tipped to win in 20-30 constituencies.

The BJP and Congress are poised for a neck-and-neck race in Goa as well. Both parties could win anywhere between 15-20 seats each in the 40-member assembly, according to polls.

Polls say the BJP will win 30 seats in Manipur, falling just one seat short of the majority mark. The Congress is expected to secure 13 seats.

Vikas Pandey
BBC News, Delhi

All eyes are on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s performance in Punjab - by winning this election, the party, which currently governs the capital Delhi, hopes to consolidate its political presence on a national level.

Driving to work this morning, I noticed quite a few people outside the party office in Delhi.

The place is decked with balloons as media vans and journalists throng the premises.

I have never seen such a bustling atmosphere outside the party office before, apart from when Delhi elections happen, which AAP has won twice.

If the exit polls are right and the party goes on to win Punjab, it will be a significant moment in their history.

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India’s state elections are a fascinating exercise in understanding just what makes the country - and its unique democratic model - tick. Here’s what’s at stake in the five states for which votes are being counted today:

Uttar Pradesh: India’s largest and most populous state is considered the bellwether for parliamentary elections - the next one is due in 2024. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power here in 2017 with a thumping majority - winning 312 out of the total 403 assembly seats. Whichever way the results go, it will be seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government.

Punjab: Known as the “grain bowl of India”, Punjab has a sizeable farmer population, which forms the most influential voting bloc. Just before elections started, Mr Modi’s government repealed three controversial farm laws that had sparked massive protests. Analysts will be watching to see how these impact the results. The Congress, which is currently in power, was roiled by infighting and a strong anti-incumbency sentiment. Exit polls have predicted a victory for the Aam Aadmi Party - it has never been in power in the state but is counting on its freshness and governance track record in neighbouring Delhi to give it an edge.

Manipur: Elections in Manipur have historically been marred by turmoil, violence and a flurry of last-minute defections. The 2017 elections were seminal - the BJP managed to end the Congress’ dominance in the state after 15 years by forming a coalition government. The BJP is fighting alone this time, while the Congress has forged an alliance of six political parties.

Goa: The voters of Goa - India’s smallest state and a tourist favourite - have a reputation for giving fractured mandates in elections. This has meant elected lawmakers often jump ship to other parties so they can get the numbers to form a government. In 2017, the Congress actually managed to get more seats than the BJP, but the right-wing party moved swiftly to build alliances with smaller parties. Analysts will be watching closely to see how both parties react if results give a hung assembly.

Uttarakhand: Since 2000, when the state was formed, Uttarakhand has alternated between BJP and Congress governments. This election season, Congress’s Rahul Gandhi and Mr Modi, campaigning for BJP, have frequently taken potshots at each other. The BJP is counting on Mr Modi’s popularity to retain power, though exit polls have predicted a hung verdict.

Counting of votes has begun in all five states - Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa.

Some 50,000 officials from India's Election Commission are involved in the exercise, which began with postal ballots at 08:00 local time (02:30 GMT). They will then move onto counting votes cast on electronic voting machines.

With 690 seats in the fray, the counting could go on for the whole day, but clear trends should emerge in the next three to four hours.

Image source, ANI

Welcome! Over the past month, more than 180 million Indians cast their ballots in 690 seats in five different state elections - Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab in the north, Manipur in the north-east and Goa in the south all voted for a new government.

Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, voted in seven phases because of the scale of the exercise - it involved some 150 million voters. Manipur voted in two phases while the other three states completed polling in a single day.

Today, they will all find out who will form the next government in their state.

Counting begins at 08:00 local time (02:30 GMT) with the tallying of postal votes. After that, Election Commission officials will start counting in-person votes cast on electronic voting machines.

As the numbers pour in, we will bring you reporting from our correspondents in all of the five states along with analysis, video and more. Stay tuned!