Madhya Pradesh and Mizromam Polls: MP sees a spike whereas Mizoram sees a dip in voting




Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan shows his inked finger whereas a Bru refugee shows her finger after exercising their voting rights (Photo: The Hindu)

Madhya Pradesh, where the Congress is likely to dethrone Shivraj Singh, the three-timer CM and its party, saw a spike in turnout in today’s assembly elections. Mizoram, where the BJP is trying to wrest from the Congress, saw a considerable dip. In 2013, Madhya Pradesh had polled 72.7 per cent has increased sharply polling 74.6 per cent whereas Mizoram has polled 75 per cent compared to its previous polling percentage 83.4 per cent, NDTV quoted the Election Commission as saying.

Five Top Updates from Madhya Pradesh

  1. After talking to voters and business groups last week in Madhya Pradesh, it is assumed that the Congress will win back after 15 long years. Anti-incumbency factor is high in the state due to various reasons including demonetisation and GST. However, if Shivraj SIngh is to believed there is “pro-incumbency and no anti-incumbency.”
  2. Madhya Pradesh Congress said reports about malfunctioning voting machines and Voter-Verified Paper Trail machines poured in from across the state. In the first hour, more than 100 complaints were received, senior Congress leader Kamal Nath said, requesting the Election Comission for prompt replacements.

    Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan shows his inked finger after exercising his franchise at a polling booth in Jait, Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday (Photo: The Hindu)
  3. “There have been reports of the faulty EVMs from across the state. In democracy, vote is the voice of the people — it is worrying that an effort is being made to suppress it,” tweeted senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, who cast his vote in Gwalior.
  4. Three on-duty election officials died of cardiac arrest in Madhya Pradesh, news agency ANI reported. The Election Commission announced 10 lakh compensation for the families.
  5. The Congress failed to form an alliance with Mayawati, which was expected to hold benefits in a state with a chunk of Scheduled Caste voters. An analysis of data from 2013 assembly elections showed that an alliance between the two would have meant victory in another 41 seats.

Five Top Updates from Mizoram

  1. Mizoram is one of the four states where the Congress is still in power. BJP looks to uproot the Congress in its last bastion in the Northeast. The BJP, which is yet to open its account in the state, is contesting in 39 of the 40 seats. The ruling Congress and the main opposition party, the Mizo National Front, have fielded 40 candidates each
  2. About 79% of Mizoram’s 7,70,395 voters cast their votes for the 40 Assembly seats in the State on Wednesday. The final figure, officials said, could be closer to the 80.82% mark in 2013 after people standing in queues at many booths after the voting ended at 4 p.m. get to cast their votes.
  3. Serchhip district recorded the highest turnout of 81% while Aizawl district clocked the lowest of 65%. Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla is contesting from the Serchhip Assembly seat as well as Champhai South in Champhai district, where the voting percentage was 75.

    A Bru refugee shows her ink mark after casting her vote at Kanhmun, Mizoram. Bru refugees have been living in six transit camps in North Tripura for last 21 years (Photo: The Hindu)
  4. About 56.46% of the 11,987 displaced Bru voters lodged in six relief camps in Tripura also cast their votes at special booths set up at Kanhmun, a Mizoram village in Mamit district bordering Tripura. The Election Commission had established 15 polling booths at a playground and indoor badminton stadium for Brus who had fled ethnic violence from across nine Assembly seats in Mizoram 21 years ago.
  5. The Tripura government had organised 140 buses and 100 smaller vehicles to bring the refugees from the relief camps within 57 km from Kanhmun to a bridge across the Lankaih River that connects the two States. The buses could not move beyond Damcherra, about 500 metres from Kanhmun, from where the refugees walked to the booths much before voting began at 7 am.

The counting of votes for Madhya Pradesh Pradesh and Mizoram will take place on December 11, along with that of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Telangana, where assembly elections are also being held.

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