BHOPAL — The six Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh where polling is being held on Friday in the first phase of general elections recorded a voter turnout of 30.46 per cent till 11 am, an official said.
The constituency-wise polling is Balaghat 35.64 per cent, Chhindwara 32.51, Jabalpur 27.41, Mandla 32.03, Shahdol 29.57 and Sidhi 26.03, the state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anupam Rajan told PTI, adding that polling was going on peacefully in all the six constituencies.
The highest vote cast percentage of 35.64 per cent was recorded in the Naxal-hit Balaghat constituency by 11 am.
Baihar and Paraswada assembly constituencies where the voting is taking place from 7 am to 4 pm due to security reasons due to Naxal influence registered voting per cent of 43.96 and 40.79 per cent by 11 am, the CEO said.
A centre in the Dublai area in Baihar constituency saw 100 per cent voting. All 80 voters there cast their votes, he added.
Sidhi, Shahdol, Jabalpur, Mandla, and Chhindwara recorded turnouts of 26.03, 29.57, 27.41, 32.03 and 32.51 per cent, respectively, he added.
No untoward incident has been reported from any place, Rajan said.
The early voters included former chief minister Kamal Nath, his son Nakul Nath, who is contesting from the Chhindwara LS seat, and their spouses.
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.
Of the 29 parliamentary constituencies in the BJP-ruled state, polling is being held in Shahdol, Mandla (both reserved for Scheduled Tribes), Jabalpur, Balaghat, Chhindwara and Sidhi in the first phase.
These six constituencies cover 13 districts and 47 assembly segments.
Voting began at 7 am and will end at 6 pm in most places, the official said. Due to security reasons, polling will be held from 7 am to 4 pm in Baihar, Lanji and Paraswada assembly segments of the Naxal-affected Balaghat constituency, he added.
As many as 88 candidates, 81 men and seven women are in the fray across the six constituencies.
Jabalpur has the highest 19 candidates while Shahdol has the lowest ten candidates in the fray.
Of the 13,588 booths, where the polling is being held, women officials are in charge of 1,118 booths.
The total number of registered voters in the six constituencies is 1,13,09, 636 (57,20,780 male, 55,88,669 female and 187 transgender).
Arrangements for shelter, water and ORS (oral rehydration solution) have been made at polling booths in view of the hot weather.
A helicopter and an air ambulance have been stationed in the Naxal-hit Balaghat district and Jabalpur to meet any eventuality, the official said. There was 77.82 per cent voting recorded in the November 2023 assembly elections in the state.
The state recorded 61.57 per cent voting in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The percentage rose to 71.16 in the 2019 general elections.
Polling for three more phases of Lok Sabha elections in the state will take place on April 26, May 7 and May 13 for the remaining 23 seats.
In 2019, the ruling BJP won 28 out of the 29 Lok Sabha seats and is eyeing the Chhindwara seat, bagged by the Congress.