BHOPAL: The bypoll in Bandhavgarh and Ater Assembly seats of Madhya Pradesh took place amid sporadic incidents of violence in Ater on Sunday.
According to sources of the Election Commission of India (ECI) in Bhopal, while 67.16 percent voting was reported in Bandhavgarh seat of Umaria district, 58.42% voting was reported in Ater constituency of Bhind district.
While voting in Ater was more than the 57.77% votes received in 2013, it was less than the 59.07% votes reported in 2008. In Bandhavgarh, Sunday's 67.16% votes was less than the 73% votes in 2008 and 2013.
In both Bandhavgarh and Ater, men outnumbered women voters throughout the day.
According to MP chief election officer (CEO) Saleena Singh, scattered incidents of violence were reported in Ater, while polling was peaceful in Bandhavgarh.
All 288 poll booths in Ater were bracketed as sensitive, while the same was done to only 46 of 264 poll booths in Bandhavgarh.
In Ater particularly, ten companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were deployed, along with five companies of State Police Special Armed Force (SAF). Two more SAF companies from Datia and Morena were pressed into action on Sunday, said Singh.
She said violent clashes were reported between BJP and Congress supporters outside two polling booths at Sankari village in Ater. The clashes erupted after Ater Congress candidate Hemant Katare entered the polling booths and stayed there for a while. This led to protests by BJP supporters, which ensued by clashes between both groups outside the booths.
Some vehicles were damaged in the violence which was quelled after police fired in the air to disperse both groups, Saleena Singh said.
Singh also said with Hemant Katare alleging threat to security after the clashes, his security was enhanced with two protective security officers (PSOs) and four armed guards, and was taken to safe place.
CEO Singh added that the firing between the two groups was reported a kilometre away from another polling booth in Ater, but all complaints of booth capturing and bogus voting by both parties were false.
While Singh denied that the Congress candidate was attacked by BJP men outside a polling booth in Sankari, Congress State president Arun Yadav handed over a detailed complaint to the Saleena Singh in Bhopal, alleging a well planned attack on the party candidate in Ater by ruling BJP men.
In the complaint also faxed to the ECI in Delhi, the MP Congress chief alleged that 19 criminals from Itarasi in Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh captured a polling booth in Kanawar of Ater constituency.
"We've demanded a repoll in over 40 polling booths where the BJP men captured booths with active support of local administration and police," alleged Yadav.
Meanwhile, a delegation of ruling BJP led by Huzur MLA and State party vice president Rameshwar Sharma met with the MP CEO in Bhopal and alleged booth capturing by Congress supporters at 10 places in Ater.
Saleena Singh, however, maintained no booth capturing or bogus voting was reported anywhere in Bandhavgarh or Ater.
While the bypoll in Bandhavgarh was necessitated after its BJP legislator and State cabinet minister Gyan Singh won the Lok Sabha by-election from Shahdol in November 2016.
Singh's son Shivnarayan Singh contested Sunday's bypoll from Bandhavgarh on a BJP ticket.
The bypoll in Ater assembly seat was necessitated after the death of its sitting MLA and leader of opposition in State Assembly Satyadeo Katare on October 2016.
His son Hemant Katare was the Congress candidate against BJP's Arvind Bhadoria in Ater.