Polling kicked off early Monday morning for eight Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh, marking the fourth and final phase of the general elections in the state.
The voting process began at 7 am and will continue until 6 pm across constituencies including Ratlam, Dhar, Khargone, Dewas, Ujjain, Mandsaur, Indore, and Khandwa.
Across these eight constituencies, a total of 18,007 polling stations have been set up to facilitate the voting process. A diverse pool of 74 candidates, comprising 69 men and five women, are contesting in this phase.
The eligible voter count stands at a significant 1,63,70,654, encompassing 82,48,091 men, 81,22,175 women, and 388 individuals identifying as the third gender.
These constituencies, situated in the Malwa-Nimar region of Madhya Pradesh, are traditionally regarded as strongholds of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Notably, the Indore Lok Sabha seat boasts the highest number of candidates, with 14 vying for victory, while Khargone has the least, with just five nominees.
Among these constituencies, Indore leads with the highest number of eligible voters at 25,26,803, while Ujjain trails with 17,98,704 electors.
In Ratlam, the electoral battle is primarily between former Union minister Kantilal Bhuria of the Congress and Anita Chauhan, the BJP nominee and wife of state Forest Minister Nagar Singh Chauhan.
In a surprising turn of events in Indore, the spotlight has shifted to the 'None of the above (NOTA)' option. This follows the withdrawal of Congress candidate Akshay Kanti Bam, who subsequently joined the BJP, paving the way for a seemingly one-sided contest in favour of BJP's Shankar Lalwani.
With polling already conducted in 21 out of the total 29 seats in Madhya Pradesh in three previous phases, the conclusion of the fourth phase will mark the completion of the electoral process in the state. Vote counting is scheduled for June 4, as citizens eagerly await the outcome of this democratic exercise.
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