Atlanta, January 5: The Senate elections in the United States, held last November along with the presidential poll, was a cliffhanger battle as the results could not be decided despite the final outcome in 33 out of the 35 seats contested. The runoff elections in Georgia, being conducted today, will prove to be the differentiator between Democrats and Republicans in the upper chamber of US Congress.

The elections are also considered as the final extension of the bitterly contested presidential polls, as President Donald Trump's hope of blocking the grant of victory certificate to rival Joe Biden - through the Senate - rests on the victory of Republican candidates in Georgia. Certification of Joe Biden's Electoral College Win: Hundreds of Members Expected on US House Floor to Certify President-Elect on Wednesday.

Why The Runoff Polls Are Crucial in Determining Senate Majority?

Ahead of the November elections, the Republicans had 53 Senators, and the Democrats had 45. The onus was on the GOP to save its majority status in this polls as 23 of the 35 seats that were contested were held by the red party.

After the results were declared, the Republican tally was scaled to 50 -- down by 3 seats. The Democrat increased to 46,  a gain of one seat as compared to their pre-poll standing.

Two among the senate seats that were not contested in this election are held by Independent Senators. Both of them - Bernie Sanders representing Vermont and Angus King from Maine - are more at loggerheads with the Republican than the Democrats. Therefore, the Democrats effectively hold a strength of 48 in the 100-member House.

Georgia Runoff Poll to Break The Tie

As per the polling norms in Georgia, a candidate can win the Senate seat only if he or she bags 50 percent of the total votes. In Georgia, where two seats were contested in November, neither of candidates in the fray could win more than half the total votes. In such a scenario, a "runoff election" is conducted with only the two candidates with the highest vote-share being allowed to remain in fray.

In the regular seat of Georgia, where polls were held due to the expiry of six-year term of incumbent Republican Senator David Perdue, the numbers released by AP showed Perdue emerging as the leading candidate with

24,49,503 (49.8 percent of the votes). Jon Ossoff, the Democratic challenger secured 47.8 percent (23,51,094) votes. The contest could not be called as the Libertarian Party candidate Shane Hazel ended up winning 2.2 percent votes.

In the special election seat of Georgia, where polls were necessitated due to the death of Senator Johnny Isakson in 2019, Republican Kelly Loeffler won 26 percent (16,02,858) of the total votes, whereas, Democratic Party challenger Raphael Warnock secured (12,66,967) 32.9 percent votes.

For both the Georgia seats, the runoff polls are being held today. The contest will only be between Warnock vs Loeffler and Ossoff vs Perdue, respectively. The result of the two seats would determine who holds the edge. In case of a Republican victory, their tally will strengthen to 52. In case of a defeat in both the seats, it would remain 50. Their number would eventually subtracted by one as Vice President Mike Pence is expected to demit the Office on January 20.

If the Democrats win both the seats, their strength will increase to 48, but the effective strength (adding Independents Sanders and King) will rise to 50. In such a scenario, the control of Senate will go to the Blue Party as the Vice President-elect - Kamala Harris - will also technically become a member of the upper chamber of Congress.

When Are The Results Expected?

The official results may take upto 10 days to emerge, as a large number of voters registered their mandate using mail-in or postal ballots. However, the trends are expected to emerge after 7 pm ET, when the counting of votes will begin. As per the Indian Standard Time (IST), the counting will begin at 5:30 am (on Wednesday). The leading US media networks, which hold the record of calling the most accurate poll results, are expected to declare the winners in a couple of days.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 05, 2021 08:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).