MP polls: 18% voter turn out in initial hours

About 18% of the electorate exercised their franchise till 11 AM for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections for 230 Assembly seats, the polling for which began this morning.

The polling in Naxal-affected Baihar, Paraswada and Lanjhi seat began from 7 AM and will conclude at 3 PM, while in the remaining 227 seats it is being conducted as scheduled from 8 AM to 5 PM, official sources said.

Till 11 AM, 18% people have exercised their right to franchise for the Assembly elections, they said.

An assistant poll official in Katni district's Vijayraghogarh seat, K B Shrivastava, died of a heart attack early today, sources said.

He suffered heart attack at around 5 AM following which he was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed.

The district returning officer has replaced him with the reserve staff.

A total of 2,583 candidates are trying their luck in the polls being held in 53,896 polling booths in 51 districts.

The BJP government led by Shivraj Singh Chouhan is fighting for an unprecedented third consecutive victory.