Assembly polls over in Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh; counting on 11 Dec
28 Nov 2018
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MP, Mizoram election voting 2018 LIVE updates: Polling in 227 constituencies of MP began at 8 am while polling in three seats started at 7 am. In Mizoram, voting started at 7 am and will conclude at 4 pm.
Voting for assembly elections concluded in Mizoram and Madhya Pradesh by the evening today, with North-Eastern state recording higher voter turnout than the Hindi heartland. The election in the two states is being conducted in a single phase. The counting of votes will be held on 11 December.
In MP, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is fighting to retain power for a fourth consecutive time, while opposition Congress party is trying to wrest power it lost in 2003.
In Mizoram, Congress is in a crucial battle to save its last bastion in the North-East, while the Bhartiya Janata Party is trying to win over a Christian dominated state. Incumbent chief minister Lal Thanhawla’s tenure ends on 15 December.
Congress, the Mizo National Front (MNF), the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM), and the Bharatiya Janata Party are the main political parties in the battle for Mizoram.
Average polling in Madhya Pradesh was around 63.7 per cent past 4:00 pm while in Mizoram polling was over 70 per cent.
While no cases of violence was reported, media inputs showed that three employees have died due to health complications while on poll duties since morning in Guna, Dhar, and Indore. Over three lakh government employees, including nearly 45,000 women, have been entrusted with poll duty across the state.
About 745 EVMs and VVPAT machines were replaced in MP, where voting for the assembly elections is underway, a senior poll official said.
Speaking on EVM malfunctions, Chief Election Commissioner O P Rawat said there were some complaints on malfunction of some EVMs and VVPAT machines and they’ve been replaced. If it's observed that voters left due to malfunction, we can consider re-polling at that particular polling station, he said.
On allegations of violation of model code of conduct for elections, Congress leader Kamal Nath said "I had already cast my vote. When people from the media asked me who did I vote for, I showed this (palm). What else could have I done? Show a lotus?"
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