The high-decibel poll in the single phase Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections and the last leg of the second phase in neighbouring Chhattisgarh sealed the fate of the BJP and the Congress on Friday, with a large number of voter turnouts amid sporadic poll-related incidents.
The ruling Congress hopes to retain Chhattisgarh, while the party is certain to wrest power from the BJP in MP and increase their tally from the 2018 winning margins. However, the Congress Government collapsed to pave the way for BJP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan.
Amid the high-voltage political battle, one significant aspect was the cracks in the newly formed INDIA bloc of Opposition parties, with Congress, Samajwadi Party, and AAP contesting elections and engaging in verbal duels against the leaders of their respective parties.
Until the last filed reports, Madhya Pradesh recorded a voter turnout of 71.16 per cent until 5 pm for the 230-member Assembly.
While the tentative voter turnout was 68.15 per cent in Chhattisgarh, until 5 pm, it also reported an ITBP jawan killed in a blast triggered by Naxalites in Gariaband district amid polling for the second phase. The first phase happened in the Naxal belt on November 7.
Voting in Naxalite-affected Balaghat, Mandla, and Dindori districts of MP ended early at 3 pm, while it continued until 6 pm in other parts of the State. In Balaghat district, the Baihar Assembly constituency recorded a turnout of 80.38 per cent, Lanjhi 75.07 per cent, and Paraswada 81.56 per cent. There are 2,533 candidates in the fray, including Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his predecessor and State Congress chief Kamal Nath.
The high-decibel campaigning saw top leaders of contesting parties, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, criss-crossing MP and Chhattisgarh, addressing rallies, holding roadshows, trading charges, and making a slew of promises to seek votes for their candidates.
A total of 2,533 candidates are in the fray for the 230 Assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh, where the main battle for power is between the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress.
After the 2018 polls, Congress, with 114 seats, emerged as the single largest party and formed the government with the help of BSP, SP, and independent MLAs under the leadership of Kamal Nath. However, the Nath regime collapsed in March 2020 after a rebellion by now Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Congress MLAs loyal to him, paving the way for the return of the BJP government headed by Chouhan.
On the last day of campaigning, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, his party’s general secretary Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Minister Smriti Irani, and Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis (all three from BJP) made last-minute efforts to woo voters for their respective candidates. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav also addressed rallies on the last day.
On the penultimate day of electioneering, Modi addressed three election rallies and held a roadshow in Indore.
