Will Budhni witness record voting yet again?

Budhni, MP, May 2 (UNI) The Budhni assembly byelection, where Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan contesting, will witness polling tomorrow and it remains to be seen whether the turnout either touches or exceeds 70 per cent as was the case in three earlier elections.

Even as mercury is going up, polling was postponed from April 24 following an Election Commission directive.

In the 2003 assembly poll, Budhni recorded 75.45 per cent polling while the figure was about 70 per cent in 1998 and 1993 though the graph was limited to the 60 per cent range in 1990. In 1985, only 52.90 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise.

''Budhni is now the chief minister's constituency and will witness record polling this time. Our nominee Mr Chouhan undertook a 'padyatra' exceeding 150-km and, through people-to-people contact, encouraged people to vote,'' claimed BJP state spokesman Bhupendra Singh.

Mr Chouhan's chief rival is Congress candidate Rajkumar Patel, a former state minister. As many as a dozen independents are part of the 16-cornered fray.

Coincidentally, Mr Patel is contesting a bypoll for the second time from this constituency. In 1992, he was defeated by BJP nominee Mohanlal Shishir.

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