Bhopal: A turnout of 64.4 per cent was recorded till 6 pm across ten Lok Sabha constituencies in the final phase of elections in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday, amid reports of a boycott at a village in Khargone district.
The total average polling in the entire state over three phases (April 10, 17 and 24) was 60.61 per cent, in comparison to 51.17 per cent in 2009, registering an increase of 9.44 per cent, election office sources said.
"A total of 64.4 per cent electorate has cast votes in the third and final phase," the sources said, adding the percentage may further go up.
The polling percentages in ten seats were as follows: Vidisha (64.13 pc), Dewas (64.75 pc), Ujjain (59.90 pc), Mandsaur (67.16 pc), Ratlam (63.12 pc), Dhar (63.98 pc), Indore (62.05 pc), Khargone (67.49 pc), Khandwa (69.85 pc) and Betul (60.61 pc).
Prominent among those whose fates would be decided on Thursday were Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj (BJP) who is pitted against Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh's brother and former MP Lakshman Singh in Vidisha, Sumitra Mahajan (BJP) in Indore and Meenakshi Natrajan (Congress) in Mandsaur.
Reports of poll boycott were received from Khargone's Satavada village where residents did not turn up for voting to protest lack of basic amenities whereas only five votes were cast at polling booth No 142 in Ratlam's Jaora town, where also the residents protested lack of development.
The polling for Vidisha assembly seat by-poll was also held today, in which nearly 67.75 per cent people cast their votes, the sources said.
Earlier in the day, poll officials seized Rs 10.71 lakh cash in two separate operations in Ratlam constituency.
Besides, 945 litres of country-made liquor worth Rs 1.70 lakh was seized in Indore, 148 litres of liquor worth Rs 25,000 was seized in Betul constituency and 21 litres of liquor was seized in Dewas.
Chhaganlal, a poll official in Harda district under Betul constituency passed away due to a cardiac arrest while on duty.
The Election Commission sanctioned an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh to his family.
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