As voters queued up outside booths for the single-phased polling for the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly began on Friday, 95-year-old Ram Murthi, who also showed up to get his finger inked, exhorted fellow natives to "do their duty and cast their votes".
"There is a wave of the BJP in Madhya Pradesh. The atmosphere is in favour of the BJP. People are liking the schemes and development works of the Central Government and State Government. On the basis of it, I can say with confidence that the BJP will form the government with a clear major
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 70 seats of the 90-member assembly began today at 8 am on Friday. Voting for the first phase in Chhattisgarh for 20 seats was held on November 7.
BJP is seeking to retain power in the state where it has ruled for almost 18 of the past 20 years and Congress is keen to oust the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government.
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.
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.
Violence erupted at two polling booths -- 147 and 148 -- of the Dimani Assembly constituency at Mirghan in the Morena district of Madhya Pradesh, with two groups resorting to stone pelting, police said.
Madhya Pradesh recorded a voter turnout of 11.19 per cent while neighbouring Chhattisgarh saw 5. 71 per cent polling in the second phase till 9.30 am on Friday, according to data shared by the Election Commission.
While polling is being held in a single phase for the 230-member assembly in Madhya Pradesh, voting for the first phase in Chhattisgarh for 20 seats was held on November 7.