MP Assembly polls: Voting underway for 230 Assembly seats
Voters are actively participating in the ongoing elections for the 230 Assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh today. The polling, spanning 64,626 booths, commenced at 7 a.m. and is set to conclude at 6 p.m. Notably, 17,032 booths have been designated as sensitive, emphasizing the need for heightened vigilance.
Madhya Pradesh boasts a significant electorate, with 5.59 crore registered voters, comprising 2.87 crore males, 2.71 crore females, and 1,292 individuals identifying as the third gender. The Election Commission of India reports a robust participation of 2,533 candidates, including prominent figures such as Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Ministers Narendra Singh Tomar, Faggan Singh Kulaste, and Prahlad Patel.
Diverse political heavyweights are engaging in the democratic process, with Former Chief Minister Kamal Nath and his son Nakul Nath casting their votes in Chhindwara, while State Home Minister Narottam Mishra exercised his franchise in Dadia. BJP General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya is vying for Indore-1, joined by three BJP Lok Sabha MPs—Rakesh Singh, Ganesh Singh, and Riti Pathak—in the electoral race.
The electoral landscape also features the dynastic presence of Congress, with Jaivardhan Singh, son of senior leader Digvijaya Singh, contesting from Raghogarh, and Ajay Singh, son of former Chief Minister Arjun Singh, seeking mandate from Churhat. The key contenders in this political arena include Congress, BJP, Aam Aadmi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and Samajwadi Party (SP). Stay tuned for updates as Madhya Pradesh decides its political future through this electoral exercise.
Chhattisgarh Assembly polls: Final Phase of Voting Underway
In Chhattisgarh, the second and final phase of elections is currently in progress for the remaining 70 seats in the 90-member Assembly. Key figures, including Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Deputy T.S. Singh Deo, and BJP State President Arun Sao, await their electoral destiny in this phase.
With over 18,800 polling stations operational from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the spotlight is on the political future of 958 candidates, including eight state ministers and four Members of Parliament. Notably, polling in nine booths in the Maoist-affected Bindranawagarh seat will occur from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. due to security concerns.
Chhattisgarh mirrors a bipolar contest between the BJP and Congress, akin to Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led BJP's campaign, addressing four rallies targeting the Bhupesh Baghel-led government over corruption and the alleged Mahadev betting app scam.
Meanwhile, Congress, with leaders like Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi, countered with extensive campaigning. The first phase on November 7 saw a 78% voter turnout for 20 seats, with the counting scheduled for December 3. Seeking to replace the Congress government, the BJP, which governed from 2003 to 2018, aims for a political resurgence.
