MP Election 2023: A total of 230 Assembly Constituencies in Madhya Pradesh is all set to go to polls on Friday. A total of 2,533 candidates are in the fray for the 230 assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh, where the main battle for power is between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress.
As many as 5,60,60,925 voters — 2,88,25,607 males, 2,72,33,945 females and 1,373 third gender persons — are eligible to exercise their franchise in the single phase voting that opens from 7 AM to 6 PM.
Madhya Pradesh Election polling booths
A total of 2,049 polling stations have been set up in the state.
The high-octane election campaign came to an end on Wednesday evening for the elections. Electioneering ended in Madhya Pradesh at 6 pm except in Naxalites-hit districts of Balaghat, Mandla and Dindori, where campaigning drew to a close early at 3 PM.
MP election campaigning
On the last day of campaigning, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, his party’s general secretary Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union minister Smriti Irani and Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis (all three from BJP) made last minute efforts to woo voters for their respective candidates.
Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav also addressed rallies on the last day.
On the penultimate day of electioneering, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed three election rallies and held a roadshow in Indore. Union Home Minister and BJP’s chief strategist Amit Shah also addressed a similar number of gatherings and held a roadshow in Jabalpur on Tuesday.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and others, too, campaigned for their candidates on Tuesday.
Electioneering saw PM Modi, Shah, BJP president JP Nadda, Union minister Rajnath Singh, MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, among others, touring the state and addressing election meetings to drum up support for saffron party nominees in all the 230 seats.
Congress president Kharge, his predecessor Rahul Gandhi, party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra, MPCC chief Kamal Nath, former chief minister Digvijaya Singh, among others, addressed public rallies to garner support for their 230 candidates.
BSP chief Mayawati has addressed 10 rallies.
MP Election 2023 Candidates:
The BJP and Congress have fielded candidates in all 230 seats. The SP has fielded 71 candidates, while Mayawati-led BSP has fielded 183 candidates, and its ally Gondwana Gantantran Party, a tribal outfit, has given tickets to more than 45 nominees.
Janata Dal (U) is contesting in 10 seats.
In the 2018 Madhya Pradesh elections, the Congress, with 114 seats, emerged as the single largest party and formed the government with the help of BSP, SP and independent MLAs under the leadership of Kamal Nath. However, the Nath regime collapsed in March 2020 after a rebellion by now Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Congress MLAs loyal to him, paving the way for the return of the BJP government headed by Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
(With agencies input)