Assembly polls live: Polling ends in MP, 68.15% voter turnout in Chhattisgarh
Catch the live updates of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Assembly polls.
CHENNAI: The voting for Madhya Pradesh's all 230 assembly seats and Chhattisgarh's 70 seats--in the second phase is being held today.
While in Madhya Pradesh, the incumbent is the BJP, in Chhattisgarh, it is the Congress that is seeking to retain power.
In MP, voting will be held from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. However, in Baihar, Lanji, and Parswara assembly seats of Balaghat district and some booths of Mandla and Dindori districts, voting will be held till 3 p.m.
In Chhattisgarh, the BJP, which ruled the state continuously between 2003 and 2018, is seeking to replace the Congress government led by Chief Minister Bhupesh Bahgel.
The first phase of polling in the state for 20 seats was held on November 7. Both parties claimed to have done well in the first phase. The Congress had a good strike rate in these 70 seats in the 2018 elections, having won 51 of them.
Polling parties have reached their designated polling stations and 958 candidates are in the fray in this phase.
Over 18,000 polling stations have been set up in the state for voting in this phase. Out of these, 727 are 'Sangwari' booths where women polling personnel have been deployed.
Madhya Pradesh:
Violence reported from Chambal region, candidates confined as security measure.
An IED blast was carried out by the Naxals targeting the polling party when they were returning from the Bade Gobra polling station. ITBP head constable Joginder Singh died in the blast. The polling party and EVM machine reached Gariaband safely: IG Raipur Range Arif Sheikh
"The incident happened when the polling party was returning after voting concluded. The polling party reached Gariaband safely. The incident happened around 3km from the polling station. Police are on high alert," says Additional SP Gariaband on ITBP jawan killed in blast triggered by Naxalites.
"The voter turnout for polling in Madhya Pradesh was good. BJP will surely be forming a government in the state as it has focused on development unlike the Congress which always neglected the basic needs of the people," says BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur.
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"The voter turnout in Madhya Pradesh shows the support of people and especially of the women towards the BJP and its schemes in the state. The issue of women empowerment has played an important role in this election," says State BJP chief VD Sharma.
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"Few candidates alleged that voters are being allowed to cast their vote without any identity check at a polling booth in Indore. Action was taken and verification of voters was done in the presence of officials. The crowd that gathered at the booth was later dispersed after the issue was resolved," says DCP Abhinay Vishwakarma on reports of ruckus at a polling booth in Indore.
EVM being sealed & secured at a polling booth in Chhindwara.
#WATCH | Madhya Pradesh: Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) being sealed & secured at a polling booth in Chhindwara.
— ANI (@ANI) November 17, 2023
The counting of votes will take place on December 3. pic.twitter.com/5pUwyHFfqy
Polling comes to an end for the single phase of assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh.
VIDEO | Polling comes to an end for the single phase of assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh. Visuals from polling booth in Gwalior. pic.twitter.com/oN5p9IWqBY
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 17, 2023
On voting trends in Madhya Pradesh elections, Chief Electoral Officer Anupam Rajan says, "The voting percentage till 5 pm is 71.16%. Constituency-wise, the highest voting percentage is in Ratlam's Sailana constituency, 85.49%. In Khilchipur Rajgarh, the voting percentage is 84.17%. In Seoni's Barghat constituency, the voting percentage is 84.16% In Bhind 50.41%, in Gwalior South 51.05%, and in Jalabpur Cant. 52.2% of voting has taken place. In Agar Malwa district, 82%, in Neemuch 81.19%, and in Shajapur the voting percentage is 80.95%. Alirajpur had 56.24%, Bhind 58.41% and in Bhopal 59.19% voting took place. The overall average of the state is 71.16%."
Madhya Pradesh sees 71.16% polling, voter turnout 68.15% in Chhattisgarh.