Heavy voter turnout was recorded in the Madhya Pradesh byelection on Tuesday despite the COVID-19 pandemic, with the estimated voter turnout crossing 80% in four seats and the average turnout standing at 68.93% in the 28 seats until 7.30 p.m., the Election Commission of India said.
The turnout stood at 80.54% in Agar, 80.01% in Biaora, 80.84% in Hatpipliya, and 83.2% in Badnawar, the seats which fall outside the Gwalior-Chambal region and where even in the 2018 Vidhan Sabha election the turnout crossed 80%. The average turnout in the State stood at 75.05% in the previous election.
“Two incidents of firing were reported outside a polling booth and a village in Bhind district,” said Manoj Kumar, Bhind Superintendent of Police. Also, miscreants damaged the control unit at a polling booth in Liloi village, he added.
Superintendent of Police Anurag Sujania said that in Morena, incidents of firing were reported at two spots, but nowhere near a polling booth. A police official said one of the incidents occurred outside the residence of former MP Babulal Solanki in Jouri village.
Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha MP Jyotiraditya Scindia and Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar cast their votes at booths in Gwalior district. The BJP needs eight seats to retain the government, whereas the Congress needs to win all seats single-handedly to return to power.
The byelections were necessitated after 22 Congress MLAs, including 19 supporters of Mr. Scindia, quit and switched over to the BJP in March. Another four MLAs have crossed over since then, while three seats fell vacant owing to deaths of sitting legislators.
