Three polling officials die of cardiac arrest in MP, 22 pc polling till noon
Bhopal/Aizawal, Nov 28 (IBNS) : Three election Commission officials died following cardiac arrest at the polling booths and at least 250 faulty EVMs were replaced as voting was underway to elect a new Government in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday, reports said.
According to reports, 22 per cent votes were polled across the state till noon. Highest voter turnout of 34.68 and 33. 23 per cent was reported in Agar Malwa and Mandsaur districts and and lowest turnout of 14.56 per cent was recorded in Rewa district.
One Election Commission official in Guna, and two in Indore have died due to cardiac arrest at the polling booths. The Election Commission has announced Rs. ten lakh each for the families of the deceased.
According to latest reports, at least 250 EVMs and several more VVPATs have been replaced so far. Polling remained halted at several booths for hours, owing to these technical glitches.
Meanwhile, Congress party raised questions over these issues. Party's state president Kamal Nath said that the glitches were thwarting the polling process.
In Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol district, voters in Vicharpura village have boycotted the elections due to lack of availability of basic facilities like water and road infrastructure. Voters in Madai village in Satna district had also boycotted the polls over the unavailability of schools in the village.
Speaking to CNN-News18 before casting his vote in Budhni, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed confidence that he would get a fourth term and denounced ‘gotra politics’ by the Congress.
Around 1.80 lakh security personnel have been deployed to ensure peaceful polling in the state, where the ruling BJP and opposition Congress will vie for supremacy. The BJP, ruling the state for 16 years, is eyeing a fourth straight term in office, while the Congress is hoping for a comeback in what was once its stronghold.
Polling is also underway for the 40-member Assembly in Mizoram with over 7.70 lakh voters expected to exercise their franchise in the state where Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla is seeking a third consecutive term and the BJP is looking to wrest power in the last bastion of the Congress in the Northeast.
The Congress and the Mizoram National Party (MNF) have ruled Mizoram since 1987 when it became a full-fledged state. Interestingly, no party has been able to form government thrice since that year.
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