More than 70 per cent voters exercise franchise in MP bypolls

More than 70 per cent of the electorate exercised their right to franchise until 5 pm in the three bypolls in Madhya Pradesh for the Bahoriband, Vijayraghogarh and Agar assembly constituencies amidst reports of a poll boycott at a polling station.
Overall polling was peaceful, with no untoward incident reported from anywhere, election office sources said.
Until 6 pm, 69.01 per cent of votes were polled in Agar, 68.10 per cent of votes were polled in Vijayraghavgarh and 75.20 per cent of voters exercised their franchise in Bahoriband, sources said.
Initially, voters had boycotted polling at five centres in Agar, two centres in Vijayraghavgarh and one centre in Bahoriband because of local issues related to development.

However, after officials persuaded villagers, voting began in all polling booths in Agar as well as Vijayraghavgarh, though voters in Sadanpur polling station in Bahoriband seat remained adamant and not a single vote was polled there.
The Congress has fielded Vijendra Mishra against BJP's Sanjay Pathak from Vijayraghavgarh.

Pathak had won the seat on a Congress ticket in 2013, but later he joined BJP due to differences with Congress leaders, which necessitated a bypoll in the constituency.
The Congress has fielded Sourabh Singh from Bahoriband while the BJP fielded Pranav Pandey, since his father Prabhat Pandey, who won the polls in 2013 passed away.

The Congress has fielded Rajkumar Gore against BJP's Gopal Parmar from Agar.