PM Narendra Modi is set to retain power, but his BJP party lost its outright parliamentary majority for the first time in 10 years
His NDA bloc secured 293 seats – above the 272-mark needed to form a government
Modi thanked voters for their mandate, and said he would "do everything" to eradicate corruption and poverty
The opposition coalition, INDIA, performed far better than expected, securing 232 seats
The INDIA alliance has not accepted defeat and says it will meet today to decide next steps
The world's biggest election was held in seven phases over six weeks with almost a billion people registered to vote
We have already started getting early trends and they will start firming up within a couple of hours.
By noon in India [06:30GMT], barring any surprises, we would have a fairly clear idea of the big winners and losers.
But some of the results may take longer to come and counting may even spill over into the next day.
We have started getting early trends now - they show the BJP-led NDA leading in 100 seats and the opposition's INDIA alliance ahead in 69 seats.
These are, however, very early leads and the tally can change as more votes are counted.
Early trends show NDA leading in 100 seats
The counting of votes is taking place at thousands of heavily-guarded centres.
Security has been tightened across the country and since last night, police and paramilitary forces have been patrolling areas where these centres are located.
Early trends will start coming fairly soon - stay tuned for more updates!
Counting of votes begins
It’s just past 8 am local time, and the Election Commission has begun counting votes.
Usually, postal votes are counted first - not everyone who is away from their registered constituency can vote by post.
It is only open to a few categories of voters such as people on election duty, members of the armed forces and people aged more than 85 - and, for the first time, to journalists on election duty.
So we’ll have to wait a little more before the first trends start coming in.
Varanasi: The ancient city at the heart of India’s election
PM Modi is seeking a third term as an MP from Varanasi, popularly known as Benaras or "the world’s oldest living city".
Since becoming the PM’s constituency in 2014, the city - famous for religious tourism - has been under a bigger spotlight.
The BBC spent a few days in Varanasi to find out what people there feel about having Mr Modi as their MP.
Indians are fond of their abbreviations and acronyms and you’re likely to come across a fair few of those in this live page. Here are the big ones you need to know because they'll appear frequently:
Apart from these, many regional parties are also commonly known by acronyms such as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP - in power in Delhi and Punjab) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC - governs West Bengal).
The election will decide if Mr Modi wins a third consecutive term, a feat only matched by India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
The BJP was expected to campaign mainly on the back of its government’s welfare record, Hindu nationalism, national security credentials and Mr Modi’s charismatic leadership.
But early in the election, Mr Modi's campaign shifted gears, using divisive rhetoric that raised questions about his tactics - he accused the opposition, led by the Congress party, of appeasing the Muslim minority community.
Image source, Getty ImagesPM Modi's BJP party is aiming for a historic third term in power
Exit polls predict a return for the BJP-led alliance and Mr Modi appears to be confident of winning, but opposition parties say Indians face the loss of many freedoms if he stays in power.
They have accused the BJP government of denying them a level playing field.
Out of power for a decade, the opposition has focused intensely on systemic inequality and a third consecutive defeat would be a major setback, casting doubts on Rahul Gandhi's leadership of the Congress party.
If exit polls are to be believed, Mr Modi and the BJP will be coasting to a historic third term.
An average of a dozen polls predicts the BJP-led NDA winning 365 of 543 seats.
The most optimistic polls give the NDA 400 seats, matching Mr Modi's target, while the lowest estimate is 316 seats, still well above the 272 needed to form a government.
The outlook for the opposition is bleak. Polls average 146 seats for the INDIA coalition, with estimates ranging from 107 to 173 seats.
They hope the exit polls are wrong, recalling the Congress-led upset in 2004 that defied BJP victory predictions.
Image source, Getty ImagesIndia’s parliament has two houses - the lower house (Lok Sabha) and the upper house (Rajya Sabha).
The election has been held to choose 543 MPs for the Lok Sabha. Members are elected for a five-year term to represent a single constituency, the winner being the candidate who gets the most votes.
Voters must be Indian citizens, 18 years of age or older and be on the electoral register, external and need a valid government ID card.
Image source, Getty ImagesIndia's parliament has two houses
There are 131 seats reserved for MPs from the "scheduled castes" and "scheduled tribes" - groups that are officially recognised as disadvantaged and make up about a quarter of India's population.
India has also passed a law to allocate a third of the seats to women, but this will not come into force for several years.
Elections in India are a vibrant affair as politicians hold massive rallies and energetic roadshows to reach out to voters.
Thousands show up at these events to pledge support for their preferred party and candidates.
As politicians give speeches from atop vehicles or stages, supporters shower them with flower petals and dance and beat drums while walking in long processions behind their convoys.
Want a glimpse? Here’s one of our videos that captures the campaign in all its chaotic glory.
The many flavours of India’s election campaigns
The election is a face-off between two major political coalitions: the governing BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), and the opposition bloc INDIA, which includes the main opposition Congress party.
The NDA represents a centre-right coalition, whereas the INDIA alliance leans towards the centre-left.
While Mr Modi is the face of the ruling alliance, the INDIA bloc has not selected a prime ministerial candidate.
Exit polls strongly suggest a clear majority for the NDA in the 543-seat parliament and a third consecutive term for Mr Modi.
Image source, Getty ImagesINDIA alliance members pose together ahead of vote counting
Counting of votes will start at 08:00 [02:30 GMT]. The electronic voting machines (EVMs), stored at heavily-guarded centres since polling day in different constituencies, will be opened and Election Commission officials will start counting votes.
Early trends will start coming fairly soon and by mid-morning in India, definitive trends will emerge in most constituencies and we’ll know which way the wind is blowing.
A word of caution though: sometimes a candidate - or a party - may take an early lead only to lose once the final tally is in.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe moment we’ve been waiting for is finally here.
The results of India’s mammoth general election will be announced today.
Hundreds of millions have voted over the past six weeks to choose a new parliament for the next five years, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a third consecutive term for his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
More than two dozen opposition parties, including the once-dominant Congress, are taking them on as part of an alliance called Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).
With our team of reporters spread out across India, we’ll bring you all the exciting news from the day, stories of prominent winners and losers and a flavour of the celebrations and despair - so stay with us.