Voting underway for 7 Lok Sabha seats in MP

Voting was underway on Monday for the seven Lok Sabha constituencies in Madhya Pradesh along with 44 other constituencies across seven states in the fifth of the mega seven-phase electoral exercise.

Voting began at 7 a.m. for the Tikamgarh, Damoh, Khajuraho, Satna, Rewa, Hoshangabad and Betul seats in the second phase of elections in the state. Voting was held at six of the 29 seats in state's the first phase of polling on April 29.

In the 2014 polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had secured all the seven seats.

The fate of 110 candidates, including nine women, is being decided by the 1.19 crore voters in these constituencies. Of the total electors, there are over 62 lakh men, 56 lakh women and 235 others.

The state is witnessing Minister of State for Minority Affairs Virendra Kumar, the sitting BJP MP from Tikamgarh pitted against Congress' Kiran Ahirwar.

A total of 67,000 electoral employees have been deputed to conduct peaceful elections. A total of 85 companies -- each having around 100 personnel -- of Central security forces and 45 of state armed force have also been deployed.

Besides, at least over 50,000 personnel, including Home Guards and district police force, have been deployed in the state.

Election Commission (EC) in the state has set up control rooms to solve the complaints of electorates expeditiously. The control room has been working round the clock.

--IANS

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