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PremiumMP, Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections 2023 HIGHLIGHTS: Voting for 230 assembly constituencies in Madhya Pradesh and 70 out of 90 assembly constituencies in Chhattisgarh was held on Friday. The polling in MP concluded at 6 pm, while in Chhattisgarh, it concluded at 5 pm.
Chhattisgarh saw the second and last phase of voting on Friday. A total of 958 candidates, including Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Deputy CM T S Singh Deo, eight state ministers, and four Members of Parliament, are vying for victory in the battle for 70 seats.
Meanwhile, in Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, a total of 2,533 candidates are in the fray with the main battle for power between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress. As many as 5,60,60,925 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise on Friday.
The counting of votes will take place on December 3 for both states.
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Madhya Pradesh recorded a voter turnout of 71.64 per cent as of 7:30 pm on Friday. Meanwhile, Chhatisgarh reported 68.15 per cent voter turnout.
As per the data released by the Election Commission of India on the Voter Turnout App, the Dhamtari district recorded the highest voter turnout at 79.89 per cent, while the lowest turnout was recorded in the Raipur district.
Meanwhile, one jawan of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) was killed in an Improvised explosive device (IED) blast carried out by Naxalites in Gariaband, news agency ANI reported.
Madhya Pradesh recorded a voter turnout of 71.11 per cent till 5 pm, while Chhattisgarh recorded 67.34 per cent turnout. The voting in Chhattisgarh ended at 5 pm, while that in MP will conclude at 6 pm.
The voting for the Madhya Pradesh Election 2023 will end at 6 pm on Friday.
The voting for the second phase of the Chhattisgarh polls ends at 5 pm. The voting began at 8 am on Friday, except in nine booths, where polling began at 7 am.
As polling is underway in Madhya Pradesh, state minister and BJP leader Narottam Mishra in Datia said on Friday that if any other party apart from the BJP win the polls, "celebrations will be held in Pakistan". He urged people to vote for the BJP, saying, "When you press the button (on EVM) with the 'Lotus' symbol on it, then celebrations are held in India. If any other political party wins, celebrations will be held in Pakistan. Keeping national interest in mind, the button with the 'Lotus' symbol on it should be pressed."
Madhya Pradesh recorded 60.52 per cent voter turnout, Chhattisgarh Phase 2 elections saw a turnout of 55.31 per cent til 3 pm on Friday. The voting began in MP at 7 am, while in Chhattisgarh, it began at 8 am.
Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and Congress Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh claimed that one of his party workers was mowed down by a BJP candidate in Chhatarpur. He said on Friday that the police are yet to take any action into the matter. Singh made the remark while speaking to the reporters in Bhopal after casting his vote there. The Congress leader along with his wife cast their vote for the state assembly polls, news agency ANI reported.
A BJP candidate and an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporter sustained injuries after unidentified persons opened fire in Madhya Pradesh's Mehgaon Assembly constituency on Friday. A police team reached the spot on being informed of the incident, police were quoted by ANI as saying.
Madhya Pradesh recorded a voter turnout of 45.40 per cent while neighbouring Chhattisgarh saw 38.22 per cent polling in the second phase till 1 pm on Friday, the Election Commission informed.
Polling for the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly and 70 seats for the 90-member Chhattisgarh House is underway currently.
MP recorded 45.40% voter turnout till 1 pm, while Chhattisgarh recorded 38.22%.
Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Friday stressed that he has never been in the race for the post of Chief Minister, neither in 2013, 2018 and 2023.
Speaking to ANI about the polls, the BJP leader said, "I have always said that I am not in the race for the Chief Minister. I was never in the race, neither in 2013, 2018 or 2023. The race is for the development and growth under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi".
Lashing out at Congress, he said, “Kursi ka race sirf Congress ko hai". (Congres is only after power).
Madhya Pradesh recorded a voter turnout of 27.62 per cent while neighbouring Chhattisgarh saw 19.65 per cent polling in the second phase till 11 am on Friday, the Election Commission informed on Friday.
Polling for the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly and 70 seats for the 90-member Chhattisgarh House is underway currently.
Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Virendra Kumar on Friday said that the day of voting is no less than a festival and cast his vote at a polling booth in Tikamgarh district while polling is underway for the 230-member Assembly in Madhya Pradesh.
The Union Minister cast his vote at polling booth number 74 in Tikamgarh district and told ANI, “In a democracy, the voting day is no less than a festival. On this day, every voter should exercise their right."
Two persons were injured in a clash on Friday during voting in Madhya Pradesh’s Dimani constituency where the Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar is contesting, an official said.
Morena Superintendent of Police (SP) Shailendra Singh said that a clash between two groups was reported from Mirdhan village over attempts to stop voters from casting their ballots. (PTI)
“Separate screens are installed for each Assembly constituency and monitoring is being done through webcasting. Telephone calls are being responded by our control room team," said Gwalior DM Akshay Kumar Singh on Integrated Command Centre (Control Room) set up in the city.
Nakul Nath, Congress leader and son of Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath, was allegedly stopped from entering polling booth in Bararipura, Chhindwara by BJP workers. (BJP)
11.13% voter turnout recorded till 9 am in the Madhya Pradesh.
5.71% voter turnout recorded till 9 am in the second phase of voting in Chhattisgarh.
DSP Vijay Singh Bhadoriya said, “Information was received this morning that a scuffle broke out between two sides and a stone pelting has ensued. Police reached here and both sides were removed from there. One person got injured in his head. Situation is peaceful right now. A few villagers also complained about a shootout but it has not been verified."
Narendra Chouhan, the brother of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, on Friday talked up the prospects of the ruling BJP in the single-phased Assembly elections, which is currently underway in the state.
He said he was hopeful of the BJP returning to the hustings in MP with a comfortable majority.
Speaking to ANI before the start of polling for 230 Assembly seats in the state, Narendra Chouhan said, "All arrangements are in place and people are waiting eagerly to cast their votes. People will vote first and then proceed to their respective workplaces. The BJP is on course to forming the government with a big majority." (ANI)
Women have been entrusted with the responsibility of shouldering the entire voting process in all the 201 polling stations in an assembly constituency in Chhattisgarh capital Raipur, a move billed by officials as the first of its kind in the country.
“For the first time in the country’s democratic history, women will shoulder the entire responsibility of an electoral process in an Assembly segment. There are 201 polling stations in Raipur City North seat and all are 'Sangwari booths' where everyone from the presiding officer to the polling officer are women," the district administration said in a release on Thursday.
The second and final phase of assembly polls involving 70 seats in the state began on Friday morning.
Voting for the second phase of assembly polls in Chhattisgarh began on Friday for seventy constituencies.
The main battle in the state is between the Congress and the BJP. Prior to the voting, the state witnessed the top leaders of both parties, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Bhupesh Bahgel, holding extensive campaigns.
Polling begins for 2nd phase in Chhattisgarh; CM Baghel among 958 in fray.
State Congress president and party's candidate from Chhindwara, Kamal Nath says, "I have faith in the entire state that they will side with the truth. I trust the public, the voters. I am not Shivraj Singh that I will say that we will win these many or that many seats. The public will decide the number of seats..."
"BJP has Police, money and administration. They will have it for a few more hours now. Yesterday, I received several phone calls, someone sent me a video that shows that liquor and money were being distributed," he said.
