MP bypoll: 24.76 pc turnout till 11 am

Nearly 24.76 per cent polling was recorded till 11 am in the byelection to Jhabua Assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh on Monday, an official said.

Polling was going on peacefully. A VVPAT (voter verifiable paper audit trail) unit was changed at one booth due to some technical problem, Jhabua collector Prabal Sipaha told PTI.

"Around 24.76 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 11 am," another official said, adding that long queues were witnessed since morning at a number of polling booths.

The Congress has fielded former Union minister Kantilal Bhuria (68) from the seat against BJP's Bhanu Bhuria, who is contesting his maiden election.

Kantilal Bhuria and his family members cast their votes at a polling booth in Jhabua city, while the BJP nominee exercised his franchise at Dotad village in the district.

BJP leader G S Damor defeated Kantilal Bhuria's son Vikrant Bhuria of the Congress in the Assembly polls last year.

Later, Damor contested the Lok Sabha election from Ratlam seat where he defeated Kantilal Bhuria.

Damor subsequently resigned as MLA from Jhabua, which necessitated the by-election.