India, Dec. 3 -- The counting of votes for elections to the 264 municipal councils and nagar panchayats that went to the polls on Tuesday will be held on December 21, instead of December 3, following a directive from the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court.

In an interim order passed on Tuesday, the high court also prohibited exit polls until half an hour after polling ends for the 24 municipal councils and nagar panchayats where elections will now be held on December 20. These bodies were also slated to vote on Tuesday, but the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) postponed the elections on Saturday, citing irregularities in the election process. Because of the postponement, the court said, the model code of conduct will also r...