Bhopal, Apr 19 (PTI)

 

A voter turnout of 44.43 per cent was recorded till 1 pm in six Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh where elections were underway in the first phase on Friday, an official said.

 

The constituency-wise polling per cent is Balaghat 52.83 per cent, Chhindwara 49.68, Jabalpur 39.63, Mandla 49.68, Shahdol 40.82 and Sidhi 34.65, the official said.

 

The Naxal-hit Balaghat constituency recorded the highest vote cast percentage of 52.83 per cent till 1 pm.

The state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anupam Rajan told PTI that polling was going on peacefully in all six constituencies.

 

Voting in Baihar and Paraswada assembly constituencies will take place from 7 am to 4 pm due to security reasons due to Naxal influence, he said, adding that a centre in the Dublai area in the Baihar constituency saw 100 per cent voting as all 80 voters there cast their votes.

 

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 underway 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.

 

Polling 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, including 81 men and seven women, are in the fray across the six constituencies.

Jabalpur has the highest 19 candidates while Shahdol has the lowest 10 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 considering the hot weather.

A helicopter and an air ambulance were 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 the 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.