No serious incidents reported, no impact on voting, says MP CEO

BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh's Chief Electoral Officer, Anupam Rajan on Friday said that despite reports of violent incidents, there have been no major events that could disrupt the voting process. Furthermore, he confirmed that there have been no reports of injuries or deaths across the state. "While we have received such news (of violence) from some places, there have been no serious incidents, and there has been no impact on the voting due to these incidents. The voting process is proceeding at its regular pace. There have been no reports of any violent incidents at the polling stations, violence against polling workers, or attempts to destroy or loot the voting materials. So far, we have not received any such reports from across the state," he said.

He stated that the incident in Morena, which resulted in one fatality, occurred late at night on the day before the polls and is unrelated to the elections. An FIR will be registered following the post-mortem. "The incident in Morena took place late at night yesterday, in which one person died... After the post-mortem, an FIR will be registered. It is not related to elections. It is a pre-poll day incident," Chief Electoral Officer Anupam Ranjan said.

He also mentioned a minor altercation that took place in Indore in front of the Juni Police Station, for which a case has been registered. However, he assured that these incidents had no impact on the polling process. "A small fight happened in Indore in front of Juni Police Station, in which a case has been registered...There was no effect of the polls," the Chief Electoral Officer said.

Further, Ranjan said, "The information we have received about the violent incidents in Madhya Pradesh indicates that there have been no casualties, fatalities, or deaths. In one instance, there was a case of aerial firing where the former MLA's gunman fired shots, but no one was targeted. In addition, there is another unconfirmed report of aerial firing in Morena and Bhind. Furthermore, in Indore, a scuffle broke out between two groups, and the police have registered a case." The polling process for Madhya Pradesh concluded yesterday.

The significance of these polls extends beyond the state, as they were held just six months prior to the Lok Sabha elections, making them a crucial indicator for both the BJP and Congress. The vote counting for Madhya Pradesh as well as other states, including Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Mizoram, is scheduled for December 3.