India election: Vote counting begins

India has started counting the hundreds of millions of votes cast during its mammoth nine-phase general election, the BBC reported.

Voting ended on Monday in a contest which pit the ruling Congress against the main opposition BJP.

Exit polls predict a win for the BJP leader Narendra Modi but analysts warn such polls have proved wrong before.

About 551 million votes from more than 1.8 million electronic voting machines are being tallied, with the first results due within a few hours.

The Election Commission has said voter turnout was a record 66.38% - beating the previous record set in 1984 - and that 8,251 candidates stood for election.

The BJP is leading in 112 of the 220 seats for which leads are available, while the ruling Congress party is leading in 35 seats, according to the Election Commission website.

The BBC's Pratiksha Ghildial in Delhi says there is a lot of excitement at the BJP headquarters as the counting begins.

There are giant TV screens to project the results, a huge media contingent and a brass band playing patriotic songs. The entire building is covered with posters of Mr Modi and party flags.

The mood in the Congress office is, however, sombre, says the BBC Hindi's Divya Arya in Delhi.

The five week-long election witnessed political campaigns marked by bitter exchanges between the main contestants and parties.

Voting was held in nine phases for security and logistical reasons. With 814 million eligible voters, it is the world's biggest exercise in democracy.