LS polls: 25.9 pc polling till 11 am in MP

Bhopal: An average 25.9 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the first four hours of polling on Sunday in the eight Lok Sabha seats of Madhya Pradesh, an official said.

Polling for the eight seats - Dewas, Ujjain, Mandsaur, Ratlam, Dhar, Indore, Khargone and Khandwa - in the fourth and final phase of Lok Sabha elections in the state was going on since 7 am, MP's Chief Electoral Officer V L Kantha Rao said.

The voting figures till 11 am were: Dewas-30.2 per cent, Ujjain-28.78 per cent, Mandsaur-32.59 per cent, Ratlam- 27.74 per cent, Dhar-18.95 per cent, Indore-19.13 per cent, Khargone-29.1 per cent and Khandwa-23.26 per cent, he said.

Prominent candidates in the fray are former Union ministers Kantilal Bhuria and Arun Yadav of the Congress, who are contesting from Ratlam and Khandwa seats, respectively.

Long queues were seen at several booths in these eight constituencies, all currently held by the BJP.

Some state leaders from Malwa Nimar region of the Indore constituency were also seen standing in queues to cast their votes.

Altogether 82 candidates, including Bhuria and Yadav, are in the fray in the eight constituencies where there are 1.49 crore eligible voters.

Total 18,411 polling booths, including 1,157 entirely managed by women, have been set up in these seats, he said.

An average 69.26 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the first three phases of the Lok Sabha polls in the state, he added.

Out of the total 29 Lok Sabha seats in MP, six went to polls on April 29, seven on May 6 and eight on May 12.

The counting of votes would be held on May 23.