Preparations have been completed for counting scheduled to begin at 8 am on Friday. The results of votes polled in all 29 parliamentary constituencies in Madhya Pradesh, would be out till Friday evening.
A total of 378 candidates are trying their electoral fortunes with most 28 in number being from Bhopal and the least six from Rajgarh. Other figures are Indore (22), Gwalior (21), Morena, Khajuraho (both 17), Balaghat (16), Jabalpur (15), Satna, Sidhi, Rewa, Shahdol, Mandsaur, Khandwa (all 14), Tikamgarh, Chhindwara (both 13), Ujjain, Vidisha (both 12), Dewas, Guna (both 11), Mandla, Sagar, Ratlam, Damoh (all 10), Bhind (9), Betul, Hoshangabad, Khargone (all 8) and Dhar (7).
There are 126 Independent candidates and 37 women contenders. In 2009, 426 candidates had fought the general elections.
Official sources said that control rooms have been set up in all the 51 districts for counting purposes. The State-level control room would operate in the State's Chief Electoral Officer's office.
There would be five telephone lines and two fax machines in the control room besides five additional telephone lines for registering complaints.
Among the main contenders from the Congress whose fate would be known include senior leaders Kamal Nath (Chhindwara), Jyotiraditya Scindia (Gwalior), Kantilal Bhuria (Jhabua), Vivek Tankha (Jabalpur), Arun Yadav (Khandwa), Ajay Singh (Satna) and laxman Singh (Vidisha).
likewise, the main candidates from the BJP include senior leader Sushma Swaraj (Vidisha), Narendra Singh Tomar (Gwalior), Sumitra Mahajan (Indore) and Prahlad Patel (Damoh).
In the previous lok Sabha polls, the BJP had won from 16 constituencies while the Congress had emerged victorious in 12 seats. The Bahujan Samaj Party had won one seat.
Simultaneously, counting of votes polled in Vidisha assembly by-election would take place on Friday. A total of eleven contestants are in the fray in the bypoll.