MP, Chhattisgarh seal their mandate for crucial contest

Over 52 million people voted on Friday across all 230 assembly constituencies in Madhya Pradesh and 70 of 90 seats in Chhattisgarh, marking the biggest polling day in the ongoing five-state elections that will have significant ramifications on political dynamics in the run up to next summer's general elections.

In Madhya Pradesh, where the Bharatiya Janata Party is hoping to hold off the Congress, the turnout recorded for the day stood at 76.22% till 11 pm, up from the 2018 figure of 75.6%. The highest voting percentage was recorded in Agar Malwa with 85% and the lowest in Alirajpur with 60.1%. The Maoist-affected districts of Balaghat, Mandla and Dindori saw relatively high turnouts of 85.23%, 82.05% and 82.51%, respectively. Stray incidents of violence were reported from Il districts.

In Chhattisgarh, where 20 seats went to the polls on November 7 and where the Congress is looking for a second consecutive term, the turnout recorded for the day stood at 74.10%, down from the 2018 figure of 77.3% till 11pm. The highest voting percentage was recorded in Balod with 82.79% and the lowest in Sarguja with 76.03%. The first phase of elections for 20 seats recorded a high voter turnout of 78% To be sure, turnout figures are usually revised upwards the next day as the Election Commission updates its data from far-flung regions, and includes people who are in the poll queue.