Polling progresses peacefully in Pandhana

Bhopal, Dec 4 (UNI) About 15 percent of the 1.56 lakh electorate exercised their franchise till 1100 hours today in the Assembly byelection in Pandhana constituency in Khandwa district in western Madhya Pradesh.

Tight security arrangements were made at all 191 polling booths in the sprawling rural constituency, where the byelection was necessitated by the murder of BJP MLA Kishorilal Verma.

Polling was progressing peacefully and no untoward incident had been reported so far, official sources said. Jawans of the police and para-military forces have been deployed all over the constituency, including in 75 booths, declared as sensitive.

Late Mr Verma's son Devendra Verma (BJP), Hiralal Silawat(Cong), Vasudeo Atoot (Bhartiya Jan Shakti), Navneet Gajbhiye (Gondwana Gantantra Party) and Umashankar Varma (Ind) were in the fray.

UNI XC-SP 1138