India, Feb. 8 -- Roughly 9.5 million votes cast at 13,766 polling booths to determine the next government of Delhi will be counted beginning at 8am on Saturday, bringing the curtain down on the first electoral contest of the year.

The votes will be counted at 19 counting centres across the national capital to determine the future of 698 candidates who were in the fray in what was the most closely fought assembly elections in years.

"We have made robust security arrangements [for counting day]. Only authorised personnel will be allowed inside the counting centres, where the use of mobile phones will be strictly prohibited," special commissioner of police Devesh Chandra Srivastva said.

Around 5,000personnel will be on duty to ensure free...