Vote count in five Indian states under way as pandemic rages

PM Modi’s ruling BJP seeking to consolidate hold over more states as opposition parties hope to regain political turf.

India’s election officials have started counting votes in five states from elections held in March and early April – at the start of a surge in COVID-19 cases that has overwhelmed the country’s healthcare system. The counting of votes in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry is scheduled to end on Sunday as well, with results to be announced once the tallies are done. The results are seen as a test of the impact the pandemic’s devastating second is having on support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his right-wing BJP party.