Bhopal/Datia, 30 July (H.S.): Voting for the Datia Assembly Bypoll in Madhya Pradesh is underway peacefully since 7 am on Thursday. According to the District Election Office, 50.26 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 1 pm. A strong enthusiasm among voters has been witnessed, with long queues forming at polling stations despite heavy rainfall.

Polling began at 7 am across 291 polling stations in the Datia Assembly constituency. Before the start of voting, technical issues were reported at three polling stations — a malfunction in the VVPAT machine at booth number 186, a fault in the Ballot Unit (BU) at booth number 108, and a problem with the Control Unit (CU) at booth number 290. District Collector and District Election Officer Swapnil Wankhede said all faulty equipment was replaced on time, following which voting began as scheduled. Tight security arrangements have been put in place to ensure free, fair and peaceful polling.

In Lakhanpur village of the Basai area, villagers initially boycotted voting demanding construction of the main road and raised the slogan, “No road, no vote.” After receiving information, SDM Ashok Awasthi reached the spot and persuaded the villagers, following which around 50 residents cast their votes. Meanwhile, Additional Superintendent of Police Manjit Singh Chawla inspected sensitive and highly sensitive polling stations to review security arrangements.

Before casting his vote, BJP candidate Ashutosh Tiwari offered prayers at the famous Maa Pitambara Peeth temple and later visited polling booth number 158 to review the situation. On the other hand, Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh, after casting his vote, claimed a historic victory. Speaking to the media, he said voters would “break the arrogance of the BJP” in the by-election. He also raised questions over a Congress polling agent allegedly being denied entry at Basai and said the matter would be discussed with officials.

Reacting to the issue, Madhya Pradesh Assembly Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar said that if the Congress candidate had lodged a complaint, the Election Commission should immediately take cognisance and initiate action. He said conducting free and fair elections is the responsibility of the Election Commission. On tribal-related issues, Singhar said the party understands all concerns related to tribal communities and would discuss steps for their overall development.

Former Madhya Pradesh Home Minister and senior BJP leader Dr. Narottam Mishra also exercised his franchise in the Datia Assembly by-election. Speaking to the media after voting, he said the objective was to ensure the victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the development of Datia. “That is why the lotus button was pressed,” he said, expressing hope of a high voter turnout. He also accused the Congress of making false allegations.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar