BHOPAL: Over 17 per cent voters exercised their franchise till 10 am in eight Lok Sabha constituencies of Madhya Pradesh, including three high-profile seats on Sunday.
A total of 1.44 lakh voters in 16 districts are eligible to vote in the polls to Bhopal, Guna, Gwalior, Morena, Bhind, Rajgarh, Vidisha and Sagar seats.
Maximum voting of 23% was reported in Vidisha, followed by 22.59% in Rajgarh and 21% in Bhopal, where the Pragya Thakur versus Digvijaya Singh battle is underway. Minimum 11.75% voting was reported till 11 am in Morena seat, where union minister Narendra Singh Tomar is contesting.
In Bhopal LS constituency, maximum 32% polling was reported in Sehore assembly segment of Sehore district, followed by 25% in Berasia (both BJP strongholds), 23.94% (a Congress stronghold) and 23% in Huzur (traditionally a BJP stronghold). In the largest assembly segment Govinpura, only 19% voting was reported.
All eyes are set on the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat owing to the high profile battle between two times former MP CM Digvijaya Singh and BJP candidate, the 2008 Malegaon blast accused Pragya Singh Thakur. While Thakur cast her vote at the polling booth in Riviera township, where she lives, her prime opponent Digvijaya Singh is likely to skip exercising his franchise, as he is a registered voter in adjoining Rajgarh LS seat.
According to Singh’s cabinet minister son Jaivardhan Singh, who cast his vote in home town Raghogarh assembly segment of Rajgarh Lok Sabha constituency, “my father will be unable to exercise franchise in Rajgarh Lok Sabha seat (where he is a registered voter) owing to his necessary presence in Bhopal as Congress candidate throughout the day.”
After casting her vote, BJP candidate Thakur said, “I’m confident of getting winning blessings from voters and have myself voted for Rashtra Dharma and Rashtra Raksha.”
Others who cast their vote in the eight constituencies, included four-time sitting MP from Guna seat Jyotiraditya Scindia, who voted in Gwalior Lok Sabha seat, while wife Priyadarshini Raje voted as registered voter in Shivpuri assembly segment of Guna Lok Sabha constituency.
Meanwhile, ahead of polling, a sector officer AK Srivastava (posted as executive engineer in Guna) was suspended on Saturday late night, after reserve EVMs were found with him at his house instead of the polling booth in Bamori area of Guna Lok Sabha seat.