MP: CM in fray as counting begins in Budhni

Bhopal, May 6: Counting of votes polled in the assembly byelection in Madhya Pradesh's Budhni constituency, where Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was in the fray, began at Sehore town this morning.

CRPF jawans have been deployed at the counting venue on the Agriculture College premises.

Besides Mr Chouhan, 15 other candidates -- including Mr Rajkumar Patel (Cong), Mr Gulzar Singh Markam (Gondwana Ganatantra Party), Mr Narmada Prasad Yadav (Samajwadi Party) and 12 independents -- were in the fray.

Altogether 1,12,889 voters, comprising 64.60 per cent of the 1.74-lakh electorate, exercised their franchise through EVMs in 189 booths on May 3.

Budhni fell vacant after Mr Rajendra Singh (BJP) resigned to pave the way for Mr Chouhan's entry into the vidhan sabha. A Lok Sabha member from Vidisha, Mr Chouhan was sworn in as chief minister on November 29 last year.

He won Budhni in 1990 but quit it to contest a general election.

His Congress rival Rajkumar Patel was also elected from there in 1993 and became a state minister.

UNI

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