BHOPAL: More than 29% voting has been reported on the seven Lok Sabha seats, where polling is taking place in the fifth phase of polling (second phase of polling) in Madhya Pradesh on Monday.
According to Election Commission of India (ECI) reports, over 29% voting was reported on the seven seats of Central MP, Vindhyan and Bundelkhand regions till 11.15 am, with maximum voter turnout varying between 30% to 33% being reported from Hoshangabad and Betul seats of Central MP and Khajuraho seat of Bundelkhand-Vindhya region.
On other seats, 25% polling was reported in Tikamgarh, where union minister and two times sitting MP Virendra Khatik is the BJP candidate and 29% voting was reported in Damoh, where the ex-union minister and firebrand sitting BJP MP Prahlad Patel is contesting.
In Satna and Rewa seats of Vindhya region, voting spanned between 26% and 28%. As per news report, polling was started after around half an hour delay at polling booths in Timarni assembly segment of Betul LS seat, owing to EVM technical glitches.
All seven seats were won by BJP in 2014 polls, but the party is facing massive anti-incumbency against it’s sitting MPs in Satna, Rewa, Damoh and Tikamgarh seats.
Reports of poll boycott were coming in from Satna, Tikamgarh and Khajuraho seats owing to drinking water woes and absence of proper roads.
Meanwhile, a home guard deployed at a polling booth in Betul Lok Sabha seat died possibly due to heart attack in the toilet of the polling booth.
As per a report coming from Harsud assembly segment of Khandwa district in Betul Lok Sabha seat, ex-minister and sitting BJP MLA Kunwar Vijay Shah had a noisy brawl with Congress leader Basant Panwar outside Ashapur polling booth, after security was stepped up there.