MP voter turnout at record high of 75 per cent , Mizoram dips from 2013

Around 75 per cent polling was recorded till 6 pm in Madhya Pradesh’s 227 Assembly constituencies against 72.13 per cent recorded in 2013 Assembly polls, Election Commission officials said in New Delhi.

In the state’s remaining three Maoist-affected constituencies of Balaghat district’s Baihar, Lanji and Paraswada, polling was recorded at 78 per cent, 79.07 per cent and 80.06 per cent respectively. The polling in these three constituencies began at 7 am and finished at 3 pm.

Mizoram witnessed 75 per cent polling by 5 pm at the close of polling. However, officials said that the polling percentage would go up as in many constituencies the communication facilities were not there, thus they had not received the actual figures. In 2013, Mizoram witnessed 83.41 per cent polling and 82.35 per cent voter turnout in 2008.

Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were used in Mizoram after 2003. The official said the highlight of the day in Mizoram was that over 10,000 elederly voters exrcised their franchise with a 108-year old man, 106-year old woman on wheel chair and 103-year-old man coming out to vote. In Madhya Pradesh, violence was reported in a few places in Bhind district. Two persons were arrested in a firing incident near an election booth in Bhind, police said.

Several EVMs malfunctioned, which were replaced by the poll panel officials. The Election Commission also announced that Rs 10 lakh each would be paid to its officials who died during the voting exercise. The highlight of the day in MP was the voting by a 101-year-old woman, who exercised her franchise in Agar Malwa district. In MP, the contest is mainly between BJP and the Congress, though the BSP and the SP are also in the fray.

In Mizoram, the last bastion of the Congress in the North-East, the party is striving for a third successive term against a stiff challenge from the Mizo National Front (MNF) headed by former Chief Minister Zoramthanga. The fight is largely between the Congress and the Mizo National Front though the BJP is also seeking to make its presence felt.