MP byelections: Polling preps over

Bhopal, Oct 29 (UNI) Preparations are complete for tomorrow's polling in byelections to Madhya Pradesh's prestigious Vidisha Lok Sabha constituency and Malehra assembly constituency.

Official sources said that polling through electronic voting machines is scheduled to get underway at 0800 hrs and will conclude at 1700 hrs. Counting will take place on November 2 and results are likely to be declared by afternoon.

Vidisha fell vacant following the resignation of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan while Bharatiya Jan Shakti (BJS) Founder-President and former chief minister Uma Bharti put in her papers from Malehra.

There are ten candidates in the fray at Vidisha where the key contest is between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate and state Public Health Engineering Minister Rampal Singh and Congress nominee Rajashree Singh. The contest has been rendered triangular by the presence of BJS state President Raghunandan Sharma. The Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate is its state General Secretary Munawar Saleem.

Vidisha has an electorate exceeding 13 lakh, including more than six lakh women. Of the 1,480 polling centres, 572 have been declared sensitive. Twelve companies of central forces have been stationed.

Twenty-two candidates are in the arena at Malehra where the key contest is between Mr Kapoorchand Ghuwara (BJP) and Ms Rekha Yadav (BJS). The Congress has fielded Mr Jagdish Shukla and Mr Surendra Yadav is the SP nominee.

The electorate exceeds 1.84 lakh. Of the 216 polling centres, 75 are sensitive. The services of more than 2,000 officials have been requisitioned.

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