75% voters exercise franchise in Madhya Pradesh, 70% in Chhattisgarh phase 2 polls; sporadic incidents of violence reported

Around 75 per cent of voters in Madhya Pradesh and 70 per cent voted in Chhattisgarh elections on Friday, which sealed the fates of around 3,500 candidates fighting in 300 seats spread over two states.

In Madhya Pradesh where 2,533 candidates are fighting in 230 seats, 74.98 per cent exercised their franchise while 70.59 per cent voted in the second phase of polling for 70 seats in Chhattisgarh where 958 candidates are in the fray.

The Election Commission said voting percentage is likely to "go upwards" when reports from all the polling stations, including those in the interiors, are obtained. Voters reaching the polling stations till the end of the polling hours are allowed to exercise their franchise.

Though there was no large-scale violence reported during the polling, there were sporadic incidents which were brought under control on time. 

In Chhattisgarh, where the first phase of polling was on November 7, an ITBP personnel was killed in a blast triggered by naxals in Chhattisgarh's Gariaband district, while a security team was accompanying a polling team while they were returning after conducting voting. A clash between two political groups resulted in the death of an aide of a Congress leader in Madhya Pradesh's Rajnagar.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel waits to cast his vote for the state Assembly election, in his native village Kuruddih, Durg district.

Stakes are high for both the BJP and the Congress in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh -- in Madhya Pradesh, the saffron party is fighting to retain its government while the Congress is doing the same in Chhattisgarh. Both sides expressed confidence but smaller players like SP, BSP, Hamar Raj Party, JD(U), AAP and Gondwana Gantantra Party could play spoilsport for the main parties in a close contest.

In Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan (BJP) and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath (Congress) are leading from the front while in Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is looking for a repeat of 2018 while the BJP campaign is spearheaded by former Chief Minister Raman Singh. In both the states, BJP has not declared the face while the campaign is basically on the performance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.