Al Jazeera breaks down the results of the Lok Sabha elections after a seven-week voting process.

After 44 days of an election across seven phases, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is counting more than 600 million votes cast by Indians as they choose their next national government.

The vote count started at 8am local time (02:30 GMT), and the final results should be clear later on June 4. At stake are 543 seats in the Lok Sabha – the lower house of India’s parliament.

Leads so far suggest a far closer contest than exit polls had predicted. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party is projected to emerge as the single largest party, but could fall short of a majority on its own. The alliance it leads is still expected to cross the halfway mark of 272 seats.

Meanwhile, the opposition INDIA alliance, led by the Congress party, is performing better than exit polls had projected.

Here is how the main two alliances are doing, according to the latest updates from the ECI.

Here is how the the BJP and Congress are performing on their own.

India election results map

The map below represents the 543 seats in India’s lower house of parliament. The winning party/alliance will be shaded as results are announced.

Why does the map look like that?

Each hexagon represents one seat, so densely populated but geographically small constituencies are shown equally with large districts to better reflect the democratic power in parliament. The geographical map is shown below for reference.

Which two big alliances are facing off?

National Democratic Alliance (NDA):

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), comprises more than three dozen parties and is expected, by exit polls, to win a majority in the general election. Modi, 73, who has been in power since 2014, is seeking a third term.

Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA):

The opposition INDIA alliance, led by the Indian National Congress (INC) party, is a group of more than two dozen political outfits hoping to remove the BJP’s Hindu majoritarian government.

How does the vote count work?

Since 2004, India has used electronic voting machines (EVMs) instead of paper ballots.

These machines, which are not connected to the internet, have been sealed and stored in a strongroom in the parliamentary constituency.

On the day of counting, the EVMs are taken out and unsealed in the presence of representatives from all participating political parties.

What time will vote counting start and end?

Counting for all constituencies will begin at 8am local time (02:30 GMT) on Tuesday, June 4 with most results expected to be in by the early evening.

Seven phases of voting

An estimated 969 million people were registered to vote in the world’s largest democratic exercise.

To facilitate the process, the voting took place over seven phases from April 19 to June 1.

How is the government formed?

There are 543 directly elected seats in the national assembly called the Lok Sabha, and two seats are nominated by the president. To form the parliament, the winning party or alliance must have 272 seats. The prime minister is elected by the parliament as the leader of the house.

Who is in India’s current parliament?

With 37 percent vote share in the 2019 election, the right-wing BJP won 303 of 543 seats in the lower house of parliament. The Indian National Congress (INC) won 52 seats.