Bhopal, Apr 19 (PTI) A voter turnout of 66.44 per cent was recorded across six Lok Sabha seats, including high-profile Chhindwara, in Madhya Pradesh in the first phase of general elections, which was by and large peaceful, on Friday, an official said.
“The voting figures are still trickling in. It will take another two to three hours to draw a final conclusion regarding the total vote cast,” MP chief electoral officer Anupam Rajan told PTI at 8 pm.
At some places, voting stretched beyond the 6 pm deadline due to long queues, another official said.
Chhindwara recorded the highest turnout of 78.67 per cent, followed by Mandla 72.92 per cent, Balaghat 72.60 per cent, Shahdol 64.11 per cent, Jabalpur 59.72 per cent and Sidhi 56.18 per cent, Rajan said.
Voting in Baihar and Paraswada assembly constituencies in Naxal-affected Balaghat was held between 7 am and 4 pm for security reasons, he said, adding that a centre in the Dublai area of Baihar saw 100 per cent voting as all 80 voters cast their votes.
Former chief minister Kamal Nath, his son Nakul Nath, who is contesting from the Chhindwara LS seat, and their spouses, were among some of the early voters.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had failed to win the Chhindwara constituency in the 2019 parliamentary polls. It was the only Lok Sabha seat, out of the total 29 in the state, that the ruling party could not win.
Besides Chhindwara, the other key seat in the first phase is Mandla (ST), from where the sitting MP and Union minister Faggan Singh Kulaste is contesting again.
The six constituencies – Shahdol, Mandla (both reserved for Scheduled Tribe candidates), Jabalpur, Balaghat, Chhindwara and Sidhi – covered 13 districts and 47 assembly segments in the state.
Polling began at 7 am and ended at 6 pm, but in Baihar, Lanji and Paraswada assembly segments of the Naxal-affected Balaghat constituency, it concluded at 4 pm, the official said.
A total of 88 candidates — 81 men and seven women — were in the fray across the six constituencies. Jabalpur has the highest 19 candidates, while Shahdol has the lowest 10 candidates.
Of the 13,588 booths, where the polling is being held, women officials are in charge of 1,118 booths.
There were 1,13,09, 636 (57,20,780 male, 55,88,669 female and 187 transgender) voters in these constituencies.
Arrangements for shelter, water and ORS (oral rehydration solution) were made at the polling booths considering hot weather conditions. A helicopter and an air ambulance were stationed in the Naxal-hit Balaghat district and Jabalpur to meet any eventuality, the official said.
In the November 2023 assembly elections in the state, 77.82 per cent voting was recorded. The state registered 61.57 per cent voting in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, which increased to 71.16 per cent in 2019.
Polling for three more phases of the Lok Sabha elections in the state will take place on April 26, May 7 and May 13 for the remaining 23 seats. PTI LAL MAS VT NR MVG ARU NP
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