Assembly Election 2023 Live Updates: Counting of votes for both states will take place on December 3
The voting for Madhya Pradesh's all 230 assembly seats and Chhattisgarh's 70 seats--in the second phase of the election is underway.
In both of these Hindi heartland states, the main electoral fight is between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress.
While in Madhya Pradesh, the incumbent is the BJP, in Chhattisgarh, it is the Congress that is seeking to retain power.
Counting of votes for both states will take place on December 3, along with votes for Telangana, Rajasthan and Mizoram, where elections are taking place in this round.
Here are the live updates on Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh Assembly Election 2023:
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Nearly 76% Voter Turnout Recorded In Madhya Pradesh: Poll Body Officials
A voter turnout of nearly 76 per cent was recorded in assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh on Friday, a senior official said.
The voting figure surpassed the 75 per cent recorded in 2018 and could increase further. Polling was held for all 230 constituencies in a single phase on Friday.
" Voting was approximately 76 per cent. We are waiting for some details before coming out with the final figure which will take some time," the state's Chief Electoral Officer Anupam Rajan told PTI late at night.
The incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party and opposition Congress are locked in a direct fight in the state.
Man Injured In Maoist Blast In Chhattisgarh Rescued By CRPF Personnel
Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel rescued a villager injured in an IED blast by Maoists in the Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh on Friday, officials said.
According to officials, upon receiving information about the incident, the nearby 85th battalion of CRPF responded immediately, reaching Gorgepara village in Pusnaar.
They carried the injured man, identified as Lacchu Punem, on a stretcher to the 85th battalion's camp.
The CRPF provided preliminary treatment to the injured villager and arranged for his further treatment at the healthcare centre in Gangaloor.
Tentative voter turnout of 67.34 per cent in Chhattisgarh, 71.11 per cent in Madhya Pradesh till 5 pm, says Election Commission
60.52% Voter Turnout Recorded Till 3 pm in Madhya Pradesh
A voter turnout of 60.52 per cent was recorded till 3 pm in 230 assembly constituencies in Madhya Pradesh elections which are underway on Friday, the Elections Commission of India said.
Madhya Pradesh recorded a voter turnout of 45.40 per cent till 1 pm.
However, as per the poll commission, Agar Malwa of MP recorded 69.96 per cent of voter turnout, while Alirajpur recorded 50.66 per cent till 3 pm.
62.47 per cent voter turnout was recorded in Anuppur, 63.66 in Betul, 45.34 per cent in the capital city- Bhopal, and 67.09 per cent in former Chief Minister and Congress candidate Kamla Nath's constituency- Chhindwara.
In Damoh it was recorded at 64.83 per cent, Datia at 58.34 per cent, Guna at 63.10 per cent while in Indore, it was 54.89 per cent till 3 pm.
Voting for 230 Assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh began at 7 am on Friday.
55.31% Voter Turnout Recorded Till 3 pm In Chhattisgarh's 2nd Phase Of Polls
A voter turnout of 55.31 per cent was recorded till 3 pm in 70 assembly constituencies for the second phase of the Chhattisgarh elections that began on Friday morning under a thick security blanket of police and paramilitary personnel, a poll official said.
Polling in 70 constituencies began at 8 am and will conclude at 5 pm, except in nine polling booths in the Naxal-affected Bindranawagarh seat in Gariaband district, where voting began at 7 for security reasons, a poll official said.
Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar Casts Vote In Madhya Pradesh
Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for Madhya Pradesh assembly polls, Narendra Singh Tomar cast his vote and said that there was a wave of the BJP in the state.
Mr Tomar remarked while talking to the reporters in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior district on Friday after casting his vote for the state assembly polls.
"There is a wave of the BJP in Madhya Pradesh. The atmosphere is in favour of the BJP. People like the schemes and development works of the Central Government and State Government. Based on it, I can say with confidence that the BJP will form the government with a clear majority in the state. I have cast my vote and here also the atmosphere is in favour of the BJP," Tomar said.
Mr Tomar is in the fray from the Dimani assembly seat in Morena district in the state assembly polls.
An elderly voter after casting her vote for the second phase of Chhattisgarh Election
Chhattisgarh Elections: 37.87 per cent voter turnout recorded till 1 pmA voter turnout of 37.87 per cent was recorded till 1 pm in 70 assembly constituencies for the second phase of the Chhattisgarh elections underway on Friday under a thick security blanket of police and paramilitary personnel, a poll official said.
Polling in 70 constituencies began at 8 am and will conclude at 5 pm, except in nine polling booths in the Naxal-affected Bindranawagarh seat in Gariaband district, where voting began at 7 am for security reasons, a poll official said.
The booths in Bindranawagarh where voting is being held from 7 am to 3 pm are Kamarbhaudi, Amamora, Odh, Bade Gobra, Ganwargaon, Gariba, Nagesh, Sahbinkachhar and Kodomali.
Till 1 pm, 37.87 per cent turnout was recorded in 70 constituencies, he said.
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel cast his vote in Kuruddih village in his constituency Patan in Durg district.
Chhattisgarh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan and his wife cast their votes in Civil Lines Raipur.
Madhya Pradesh Elections: 45.4 per cent voter turnout till 1 pm, says officialA voter turnout of 45.4 per cent was recorded till 1 pm in Madhya Pradesh, where polling began on Friday morning for the 230-member assembly.
There are 2,533 candidates in the fray, including political heavyweights like Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his predecessor and rival Kamal Nath.
Till 1 pm, 45.4 per cent of electors cast their votes in the state, a poll official said.
Polling began at 7 am across all 230 constituencies, including 47 reserved for ST and 35 for the SC, in the state, the official said.
Madhya Pradesh Elections| Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar casts his vote 
Chhattisgarh polls 2nd phase: 19.65 per cent voter turnout till 11 amA voter turnout of 19.65 per cent was recorded till 11 am in 70 assembly constituencies for the second phase of the Chhattisgarh elections that began on Friday under a thick security blanket of police and paramilitary personnel, a poll official said.
Polling in 70 constituencies began at 8 am and will conclude at 5 pm, except in nine polling booths in the Naxal-affected Bindranawagarh seat in Gariaband district, where voting began at 7 for security reasons, a poll official said.
The booths in Bindranawagarh where voting will be held from 7 am to 3 pm are Kamarbhaudi, Amamora, Odh, Bade Gobra, Ganwargaon, Gariba, Nagesh, Sahbinkachhar and Kodomali.
Till 11 am, 19.65 per cent turnout was recorded in 70 constituencies, he said.
Madhya Pradesh Polls: 28.18 Per Cent Voter Turnout Till 11 Am, Says OfficialOver 28.18 per cent of electorates exercised their franchise till 11 am in Madhya Pradesh, where polling began on Friday morning for the 230-member assembly.
There are 2,533 candidates in the fray including political heavyweights like Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his predecessor and rival Kamal Nath.
Till 11 am, 28.18 per cent of voters cast their votes in the state, a poll official said.
Polling began at 7 am across all 230 constituencies, including 47 reserved for ST and 35 for the SC, in the state, the official said.
On Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh elections, former Madhya Pradesh CM and BJP leader Uma Bharti says "Today is the mega festival of democracy. People have all the rights in a democracy. I appeal to the people to come out and vote in large numbers for BJP..."
Madhya Pradesh ElectionsUnion Minister and BJP candidate from Narsinghpur, Prahlad Singh Patel casts his vote at a polling booth.
Madhya Pradesh ElectionsMadhya Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP candidate from Budhni, Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his wife Sadhna Singh greeted by women in Sehore.
Madhya Pradesh Elections
Madhya Pradesh Home Minister and BJP candidate from Datia Narrotam Mishra says, "The Congress candidates did nothing in 35 years. In any of the public meetings held by Digvijaya Singh, Kamal Nath and Priyanka Gandhi, none of them talked about development in Datia. Even the candidate of Congress didn't talk about development...All of our speakers talked about development...I would like to appeal to people to press the button of BJP."
All-Women Team Manages This Polling Booth In Chhattisgarh
5.7% voter turnout recorded till 9:00 AM in the second phase of voting in Chhattisgarh
10.4% voter turnout recorded till 9:00 AM in Madhya Pradesh
PM Modi extends greetings to first-time voters in Madhya Pradesh, urges record turnout for Chhattisgarh second phase
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday extended his greetings to first-time voters in Madhya Pradesh where polling is underway for the 230-member Assembly.
He also urged voters to turn out in numbers to exercise their right of franchise in the second phase of polling for 70 seats in the 90-member Chhattisgarh Assembly.
Polling for the second phase in Chhattisgarh began at 8 pm and will continue till 3 pm while voting in nine polling stations of Bindranavagarh Assembly constituency will be held from 7 am to 3 pm.
For Chhattisgarh, over 18,800 polling stations have been set up for the second phase of polling. A total of 958 candidates are in the fray across the 70 seats.
While polling is being held in a single phase in Madhya Pradesh, voting for the first phase in Chhattisgarh for 20 seats was held on November 7.
Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections| "BJP will win more than 150 seats in MP" says BJP general secretary Kailash VijayvargiyaWith the voting for Madhya Pradesh assembly seats underway, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Friday expressed confidence on the formation of a double-engine government in the state and said that the party will win more than 150 seats.
Speaking to ANI about the polls, the BJP candidate from Indore 1 said, "I would like to request all the voters to cast their votes. BJP will form the government in Madhya Pradesh, and a double-engine government will be formed here. We will do development work like we did earlier. We will win more than 150 seats."
With the commencement of the Madhya Pradesh assembly polls early this morning, BJP candidate Kailash Vijayvargiya offered prayers at his residence in Indore.
Chhattisgarh Elections | State Minister and Congress candidate from Durg Rural, Tamradhwaj Sahu casts his vote at a polling booth in Durg.
Madhya Pradesh Elections | BJP candidate from Indore-1, Kailash Vijayvargiya and his wife Asha Vijayvargiya cast their vote at a polling booth in Indore.
Madhya Pradesh elections | State BJP president VD Sharma holds a meeting at BJP Control Room in Bhopal.
VD Sharma says "Our state BJP team is monitoring the elections underway in the state. Our workers in the Control Room are making sure that the elections are organised in the best possible way...People of the state will bless the BJP and we will get a huge majority. BJP is going to create history in Madhya Pradesh..."
Madhya Pradesh Elections | Congress candidate from Rau, Jitendra (Jitu) Patwari and his mother cast their votes at a polling booth in Indore.
Chhattisgarh Elections |A differently-abled voter being helped to reach the polling booth, at a polling station in Raipur.
Just In| Voting begins for the second phase of Chhattisgarh Assembly elections; remaining 70 seats in the fray.
Madhya Pradesh Elections | State Congress president and party's candidate from Chhindwara, Kamal Nath casts his vote at a polling booth here.
Madhya Pradesh ElectionsState Congress president and party's candidate from Chhindwara, Kamal Nath says, "I have faith in the entire state that they will side with the truth. I trust the public, the voters. I am not Shivraj Singh that I will say that we will win these many or that many seats. Public will decide the number of seats..."
"BJP has Police, money and administration. They will have it for a few more hours now. Yesterday, I received several phone calls, someone sent me a video that shows that liquor and money was being distributed," he says.
Madhya Pradesh Elections | People show their inked fingers after casting their vote at a polling booth in Indore.
Madhya Pradesh Elections | BJP candidate from Indore-1, Kailash Vijayvargiya offers prayers at his residence in Indore
"I would like to tell the voters to definitely cast vote...BJP will form the government in Madhya Pradesh, a double-engine government will be formed here. We will do development work like we did earlier. We will win more than 150 seats."
Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections| People queue up outside polling stations as they await their turn to cast a vote
Madhya Pradesh Assembly electionsUnion Minister and BJP candidate from Narshinghpur, Prahlad Patel says, "...I urge all the people of Madhya Pradesh to touch the goal of 100% voting...I request them to vote together for development...We will come to power for the fifth time with absolute majority..."
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel urges voters to cast their vote. He said, "today polling will happen for the remaining 70 seats...Your one vote will decide the future of youth, farmers, women...Please move out of your homes to vote...Vote for the betterment of Chhattisgarh."
PM Modi urges people to cast their vote
Early voters exercise their franchise in Bhopal
Assembly Election 2023 Live Updates: Voting begins for Madhya Pradesh assembly polls
- Voting for Madhya Pradesh's all 230 assembly seats began at 7 am today.
- The voters can cast their ballots until 6 pm, except in the Baihar, Lanji, and Parswara assembly seats of Balaghat district and some booths in Mandla and Dindori districts, where voting will be held until 3 pm.
- The webcasting facility has been made available at about 42,000 polling stations. Nearly 700 companies of the central forces and two lakh police personnel of the state have been deployed for security during the poll.
- The election will decide the electoral fate of over 2,500 candidates.
- Nearly 5.59 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise. It includes 2.87 crore male and 2.71 crore women voters.
- There are over 5,000 booths run by women and 183 polling stations run by the disabled, officials said.
- The polls, coming nearly six months ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, are crucial for both the BJP and Congress for various reasons.
- Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, two of the three heartland states drawing public attention ahead of next year's general election, vote today.
- While for Madhya Pradesh, it will be a single-phase election, Chhattisgarh is voting for a second time.
- Chhattisgarh is the one state from which the Congress has the highest hope in this round of elections.
- Not only is the state BJP in a disarray, there is massive support for Bhupesh Baghel, the Chief Minister who set the state on the path of progress, the party claims.
- The Congress is aiming to win 75 of the state's 90 seats.
- But of the two states, Madhya Pradesh with 230 seats is generating bigger interest given the twist in the backstory of this election.
- The collapse of the Congress government led by Kamal Nath in 2020 following Jyotiraditya Scindia and his 22 loyalists' walkover, placed the BJP back in power again.
- Now each party is out to prove they have been the people's choice.