Mumbai, June 4 (IANS): The much-anticipated counting of votes started in all the 48 Lok Sabha constituencies of Maharashtra amid tight security here on Tuesday.

The state eagerly awaits the poll outcome that will decide the fate of political parties and candidates who fought bitterly as the state was rocked by unprecedented political upheavals in the past nearly five years.

Maharashtra sends the second biggest contingent to the LS after Uttar Pradesh's 80 and the outcome here could have a bearing on the shape of the government at the Centre.

A total of 1,121 candidates contested fiercely from different parties of the two main alliances in the state.

They are the ruling MahaYuti of Shiv Sena, Bharatiya Janata Party, Nationalist Congress Party plus their allies; and the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi's Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Nationalist Congress Party (SP) and their supporters.

Several big names are in the fray, including Nitin Gadkari, Narayan Rane, Piyush Goyal, Bharti Pawar, Raosaheb Danve, Kapil Patil, all Union Ministers, Navneet Kaur-Rana, Ujjwal Nikam, Dr Shrikant Shinde, Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhosale, Sunetra Ajit Pawar, Sunil Tatkare, and others.

From the Opposition side are Chhatrapati Shrimant Shahu Maharaj, Prof. Varsha Gaikwad, Ravindra Dhangekar, Praniti Shinde, Supriya Sule, Dr Amol Kolhe, Arvind Sawant, Chandrakant Khaire, plus more.

The Maharashtra Police have deployed tight security at all the centralised counting centres in Mumbai and other parts of the state to ensure a peaceful vote count with all other necessary arrangements.