54% Voting in Bihar polls, Record 70% voting in MP by Polls

Patna: An estimated 54.05 percent of the total 2,86,11,164 electorate exercised 

their franchise in 94 constituencies during second of three phased Bihar Assembly Elections, 

sealing fates in EVMs of 1463 candidates including CM face of Grand Alliance Tejaswi Prasad 

Yadav.

Chief Electoral Officer H R Srinivasa told media persons here that as per fresh reports 

received here from all constituencies, an estimated 54.05 percent of 2,86,11,164 electorate 

exercised their franchise amid tight security arrangements. 

In 2015 Bihar Assembly Elections, 56.17 percent electorate had exercised their franchise, 

he added.

Mr Srinivasa said that number of general observers deployed in second phase of polling 

was 47. A total of  25 observers were on duty to keep eye on expenses incurred by candidates, he added.

Chief Electoral Officer said that number of micro observers was 3260 while number of 

police observers was 15. Altogether 634 model booths were set up and arrangement was made for webcasting of 3712 polling stations, he added. 

Mr Srinivasa said that for transparency in polling, 1572 videos video cameras were utilised 

for recording at various booths. No untoward incident was reported from any part  of the state where polling was , he 

informed.

By-polls: MP records about 70 pc turnout, no major violence

Bhopal:Braving the 'millennium scourge', approximately 70 per cent of an electorate exceeding 63.67 lakh exercised their franchise amid tight security on Tuesday in 28 Assembly constituencies of 19 districts in Madhya Pradesh that witnessed by-elections.

The voting timings were 0700-1800 hrs and final figures are awaited. In the 2018 Assembly polls, these areas registered 72.93 per cent turnout and the corresponding percentage was 66.22 in the last general election.

 Agar-Malwa District recorded in excess of 80 per cent on this day; Dhar 81; Mandsaur, Rajgarh and Dewas 80 each; Guna 77; Indore 75; Khandwa 74; Burhanpur and Ashoknagar 72 each; Datia and Shivpuri 71 each; Sagar 70; Chhatarpur and Raisen 68 each; Anuppur 67; Morena 56; Bhind 55 and Gwalior 49, it was officially learnt.

Barring stray incidents in Morena District, polling progressed peacefully. Firing was reported from a couple of places within Sumaoli constituency and law-enforcement personnel took immediate action.

An injured individual was rushed to an infirmary and roughly half-a-dozen persons taken into custody. In neighbouring Bhind District, some people were confined as a precautionary measure. Gohad's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Ranvir Jatav, his Congress counterpart Mevaram Jatav and the Bahujan Samaj Party's Yashwant Patwari were restricted to the Public Works Department's Circuit House. Mehgaon's Congress nominee Hemant Katare's sibling Yogesh was detained at a police station.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Congress state President Kamal Nath had separately appealed to voters to fulfil their supreme duty as citizens. The political stalwarts took refuge in the Almighty as the former offered worship at his official residence and the latter visited a couple of local shrines.

Rajya Sabha Member Digvijaya Singh conveyed ? via social media ? his doubts regarding the credibility of electronic voting machines. That thrust was swiftly parried by Mr Chouhan who told Fourth Estate members in the state capital that the Congress is already apprehending a rout therefore blaming the gadgets.

A total 9,361 polling centres ? including 3,038 critical ones ? were set up and COVID-19 prevention guidelines followed in letter and spirit. There were 358 vulnerable hamlets. Counting is scheduled on November 10. As many as 355 aspirants tried their fortune and that figure includes a dozen ministers. A total 13,115 ballot units; as many control units and 14,050 Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail ones were supplied.

 Ninety minutes prior to commencement of polling, mocks were conducted in the presence of candidates' agents. Sixty-three control units and 196 VVPAT ones were replaced."During actual voting; 29 ballot units, 23 control units and 88 VVPAT ones malfunctioned but were changed forthwith," Additional Chief Electoral Officer Arun Kumar Tomar averred.

 Police personnel, magistrates and mobile teams were deployed. After conclusion of polling, the EVMs were sealed under the watchful eyes of central observers and the process subjected to videography. The strongrooms are under Central Reserve Police Force jurisdiction.

 By-elections were witnessed in Jaura, Sumaoli, Morena, Dimani, Ambah, Mehgaon, Gohad, Gwalior, Gwalior East, Dabra, Bhander, Karera, Pohari, Bamori, Ashoknagar, Mungaoli, Surkhi, Malhara, Anuppur, Sanchi (Scheduled Castes), Biaora, Agar, Hatpipliya, Mandhata, Nepanagar, Badnawar, Sanwer and Suwasra. Sixteen of these are within Gwalior and Chambal divisions. Twenty-five of the seats were rendered vacant owing to resignations of lawmakers while by-polls were necessitated vis-?-vis the remainder on account of demises. As many as 27 were under Congress control while the saffron banner fluttered only over Agar.

In the 230-member Vidhan Sabha; the BJP controls 107, Congress 87, BSP two and Samajwadi Party one. There are four independents. Damoh did not witnessing voting as it became vacant very recently due to Mr Rahul Singh (Cong) bowing out of office and entering saffron ranks.

Former ministers Tulsiram Silawat (BJP, Sanwer), Govind Singh Rajput (BJP, Surkhi), Kanhaiyalal Agrawal (Cong, Bamori) and Mahendra Singh Bauddh (BSP, Bhander) were among those in the fray. Mr Agrawal served in the earlier Chouhan dispensation whereas Mr Bauddh was in the D Singh government.

Health Minister Prabhuram Choudhary (Sanchi), Public Health Engineering Minister Adal Singh Kansana (Sumaoli), Energy Minister Pradhuman Singh Tomar (Gwalior), Women and Child Development Minister Imarti Devi (Dabra), MoS for Agriculture Girraj Dandotiya (Dimani), MoS for Cooperatives OPS Bhadoria (Mehgaon) and MoS for Public Works Suresh Dhakad (Pohari) also tried their luck. Others were Mr Mahendra Singh Sisodiya (Bamori), Mr Brajendra Singh Yadav (Mungaoli), Mr Bisahulal Singh (Anuppur), Mr Rajvardhan Singh Dattigaw (Badnawar) and Mr Hardeep Singh Dang (Suwasra).

The Congress aspirant in Bhander is the BSP's ex-state president Phool Singh Baraiya.The Chief Electoral Officer urged the electorate to compulsorily exercise franchise in order to strengthen democracy.

 "Awareness was raised through Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation activities," Joint CEO Mohit Bundas was officially quoted as saying.

 Voting time was extended by an hour in view of special circumstances spawned by the novel coronavirus pandemic. Auxiliary polling stations were set up to avoid overcrowding. (UNI)