BHOPAL: The high-profile poll battle for the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat between two-time Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh and BJP candidate Pragya Singh Thakur saw over 65 per cent voter turnout on Sunday — the highest over the last 10 parliamentary polls.
Interestingly, Digvijaya did not cast vote as he is registered as a voter in home town Raghogarh in adjoining Rajgarh constituency. But he remained busy zipping from one polling booth to another. Pragya voted at the Riviera Club polling booth close to her residence.
According to the Election Commission, 65.33 per cent polling was reported in Bhopal till 6 pm. The highest polling percentage in the constituency since 1984 was 61.87 per cent in 1999 when Uma Bharti defeated Congress candidate and former Union minister Suresh Pachouri by 1.69 lakh votes.
The rural Assembly segments of Sehore and Berasiya, which have traditionally been BJP strongholds, reported the highest turnouts, of 77 per cent and 76 per cent, respectively.
The semi-urban segment of Huzur, another traditional BJP stronghold, reported 65 per cent voting, while the Congress citadel of Bhopal-Uttar reported 67 per cent.
The voter turnout in other urban Assembly segments stood at 65 per cent in Narela, 59 per cent in Bhopal-Madhya, 60 per cent in Govindpura, and 59 per cent in Bhopal Dakshin-Paschim.
Across the state, a maximum turnout of 71.57% was reported from Rajgarh Lok Sabha constituency followed by 68.54% in BJP bastion of Vidisha, and 66.82% in Scindia’s family’s pocket borough Guna. Even the Gwalior-Chambal region seats, which are known to report low turnouts, recorded an increase in voting percentage.
Two BJP leaders were hurt allegedly in attacks by Congress workers outside two separate polling booths in Sagar.