Assembly Elections: 65.5 % Voter Turnout In MP, 73% In Mizoram

Altogether 65.5 per cent voters exercised their franchise in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly
elections Wednesday, just over seven per cent less than the figure in the previous polls.

In the 2013 Assembly election, 72.69 per cent turnout was recorded, an election official said.

Meanwhile, in Mizoram around 73 per cent votes were cast in the assembly polls on but the figure is expected to rise as there were long queues of voters outside polling booths to exercise their franchise, Chief Electoral Officer Ashish Kundra said.

In MP, the Congress is seeking to oust the BJP which has been in power in for the last 15 years, while in Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla is seeking a third consecutive term as the BJP looks to uproot the Congress in its last bastion in the Northeast.

The counting of votes will be held on 11 December. 

Here are the LIVE updates:

1:25 pm: On demands of extending polling time at a certain booth in Madhya Pradesh raised by Congress on account of faulty EVMs, Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat said that there are provisions for extending voting timings, and local officers can take a call on it as they see fit.

12:45 pm: A 101-year-old woman after casting her vote in Agar Malwa.

Voter turnout in Mizoram

11 am: Brisk polling is underway in Mizoram with nearly 29 per cent of 7.68 lakh voters casting their votes in the first three hours on Wednesday, an official said.

11:15 am: BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya on his way on a horse chariot to cast his vote in Madhya Pradesh.

10:45 am: Faulty EVMs, VVPAT machines reported from multiple constituencies.

'100% certain of win', says Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Madhya Pradesh Minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia casts her vote.

Congress leader Kamal Nath after casting his vote in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh.

PM Narendra Modi urges people to cast vote.

EVM malfunction in Gwalior

First reports of EVM malfunction emerge with trouble being reported at polling booth number 178 inDabra, Gwalior district.

Vote Share

Among the 2,907 candidates in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP has fielded candidates in all 230 seats, while the Congress is contesting in 229 seats leaving one seat, Jatara in Tikamgarh district, for Sharad Yadav-led Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD).

The BSP has fielded 227 candidates and the SP is contesting in 51 seats. There are 1,102 Independent candidates.

In the last polls, of the 230 seats, the BJP won 165, Congress 58, BSP four and Independents three.

Over five crore registered voters in Madhya Pradesh -- 2,63,01,300 men, 2,41,30,390 women and 1,389 of the third gender -- will decide the fate of candidates.

On the other hand, in Mizoram, the Congress has fielded 40 candidates while the BJP and MNF are contesting in 39 and 40 constituencies. Around 7.7 lakh voters will decide the fate of 209 candidates.

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(With inputs from agencies)