madhya-pradesh-gears-up-9-parliamentary-seats-set-for-3rd-phase-of-ls-polls

Madhya Pradesh is gearing up for the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections, where voters will cast their ballots for nine parliamentary seats. A total of 127 candidates, including nine women, are contesting in this phase, scheduled to begin at 7 am tomorrow.

 

The nine parliamentary constituencies participating in this phase include Morena, Bhind, Gwalior, Guna, Sagar, Vidisha, Bhopal, Rajgarh, and Betul. The Chief Electoral Officer of Madhya Pradesh, Anupam Rajan, highlighted that these constituencies cover 72 assembly constituencies and 19 districts.

 

Bhopal constituency sees the highest number of candidates, with 22 contenders vying for the seat, while Bhind has the lowest, with only seven candidates in the fray. Polling will take place from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm, with mock polls conducted beforehand in the presence of polling agents.

 

With a total of 20,456 polling stations, including 5,744 identified as critical, arrangements have been made to ensure smooth conduct. Additionally, 2,043 pink polling booths staffed entirely by women and 75 booths managed by specially-abled agents are set up for this phase.

 

The voter turnout for this phase is estimated at 1,77,52,583, comprising 92,68,987 male voters, 84,83,105 female voters, and 491 third-gender voters. Notably, there are 1,66,431 differently-abled voters, 88,106 voters aged above 85 years, and 1,804 centenarian voters.

 

Stringent measures have been implemented to facilitate comfortable voting, including provisions for shade, water facilities, and medical kits at all polling stations. Additional staff has been deployed in areas with high voter density to ensure efficient polling and minimise waiting times.

 

A total of 25,108 Balloting Units, 20,456 Control Units, and 20,456 Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines will be utilised across the nine constituencies in this phase.

 

Madhya Pradesh is conducting its Lok Sabha elections in four phases, with the first two phases already completed on April 19 and April 26, respectively. The third phase is scheduled for May 7, followed by the final phase on May 13. Vote counting will take place on June 4.

 

With 29 Lok Sabha constituencies, Madhya Pradesh holds significant representation in the Lower House, ranking sixth among all states. Out of these, 10 seats are reserved for SC and ST candidates, while the remaining 19 are unreserved.