BHOPAL: Around 70% of voters exercised their franchise on Tuesday in the make or break by-elections to 28 assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh amid reports of firing and clashes between workers of political parties in parts of the state’s Gwalior-Chambal region.
A total of 69.60% voting was reported from the 28 seats in 17 districts till the filing of this news report, with a maximum of 83.75% polling reported from the Agar-SC seat of Agar-Malwa district. The polling percentage reported on Tuesday on the 28 seats was more than the 66.22% voting reported on the same seats during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, but less than the 72.99 polling reported in the 2018 assembly polls.
The maximum of 83.75% polling on Agar-SC seat, more than 80% polling was reported on four other seats, including Badnawar (Dhar), Suvasra (Mandsaur), Hatpipliya (Dewas), and Biaora (Rajgarh). The minimum 48.15% polling was reported in Gwalior-East seat, the home seat of BJP Rajya Sabha member Jyotiraditya Scindia.
Meanwhile, reports of firing near polling booths to intimidate voters came from the Sumaoli assembly seat of Morena district and Mehgaon seat of Bhind district, both in the Gwalior-Chambal region, which housed 17 of the 28 seats.
A case was registered against an unidentified accused after an electronic voting machine (EVM) was found broken at a polling booth in Mehgaon constituency of Bhind district.
Meanwhile, the opposition Congress alleged widespread misuse of official machinery by the ruling BJP, particularly in the Gwalior-Chambal region on the by-poll day.
Former CM Digvijaya Singh demanded re-poll on 17 polling booths in various seats of the Gwalior-Chambal region, alleging that Congress’ polling agents were not allowed to be present outside those booths.
He also alleged that a police sub-inspector -- who is a close relative of MP home minister Narottam Mishra – aided anti-social elements to influence the polling process in the Datia district.
In the Gohad-SC seat of Bhind district in the Gwalior-Chambal region -- the BJP, Congress, and BSP candidates were confined to the PWD Circuit House till the end of polling by the local administration to ensure their safety and free and fair polls.
Both, the ruling BJP and opposition Congress claimed that they would win maximum seats in the by-elections.
A visibly confident ex-CM and state Congress president Kamal Nath said “just wait till November 10 (the counting day) and you’ll see the BJP blaming Jyotiraditya Scindia for the humiliating defeat and Scindia blaming the BJP for the drubbing.”
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also exuded confidence that his government will be more comfortably placed in power after the counting day, as the BJP would win maximum seats.