BJP MLA shot at on polling day in MP

Bhopal, Nov 27 (UNI) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator and former minister Sunil Nayak, a former close aide of Bharatiya Jan Shakti Founder-President and ex-chief minister Uma Bharti, sustained a severe gunshot wound today at Tikamgarh district's Prithvipur assembly constituency.

''The MLA's condition is critical. He was rushed to the Jhansi Medical College. Indefinite curfew has been clamped on Prithvipur from where Mr Nayak is contesting on a BJP ticket,'' said Collector K P Rahi while adding that unidentified elements had opened fire.

Additional security personnel have been deployed at Prithvipur as several hundred people took to the streets on hearing of the assault on Mr Nayak whose key rival is Mr Brijendra Singh Rathore of the Congress.

Sporadic violence marred otherwise peaceful polling across Madhya Pradesh where nearly 60 per cent of a 3.63-crore electorate exercised their franchise across 47,214 booths spread over 230 constituencies in 50 districts.

Stray incidents of damaging electronic voting machines were reported from dacoity-affected Bhind district. A presiding officer was stabbed and three other polling officials injured at Tejpura village of Bhind's Lahar constituency by miscreants. Two voters, including a woman, were hurt when some ruffians fired at Pichaura booth in Bhind's Mehgaon segment, police said.

Five people were injured in a clash between BJP and Congress workers over bogus voting near Raisen district's Sanchi. Clashes were also reported in Jabalpur, Morena and Chhatarpur districts.

UNI Team-BDG AC SP RR RN1854