In Madhya Pradesh's Mehgaon Assembly constituency, unidentified individuals opened fire, causing injuries to a BJP candidate and an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporter on Friday amid ongoing polls. A police team reached the incident site upon receiving information.
The state is witnessing single-phased polling for its 230-member Assembly, which commenced at 7 am on Friday and will conclude by 6 pm today evening. However, specific areas, including the Baihar, Lanji, and Parswara assembly seats in Balaghat district, along with select booths in Mandla and Dindori districts, will see polling until 3 pm.
Earlier in the day, Morena and Mhow seats also reported incidents of violence, resulting in injuries. The Election Commission responding to the violence reports, has sent a team to investigate the matter.
Webcasting facilities were available at approximately 42,000 polling stations, and extensive security measures were in place, with nearly 700 central force companies and two lakh state police personnel deployed.
The ongoing polls will decide the fate of over 2,500 candidates. The state has a voter base of nearly 5.59 crore, comprising 2.87 crore male and 2.71 crore female voters. Notably, there are over 5,000 booths managed by women and 183 polling stations run by disabled individuals.
The outcome of these polls, crucial for both the BJP and Congress, holds significance coming six months ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The results of the assembly elections of Madhya Pradesh along with four other states will be declared on December 3.