Bhopal, India – November 17, 2023
Polling began on Friday morning for assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, with over 5.6 crore registered voters eligible to cast their ballots in a largely two-way contest between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Indian National Congress (Congress).
A total of 2,533 candidates, including Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his predecessor Kamal Nath, are contesting for 230 assembly seats. Voting is being held from 7 am to 6 pm in all but three Naxalite-affected constituencies, where voting hours are from 7 am to 3 pm.
Over 64,000 polling stations have been set up across the state, with stringent security measures in place to ensure peaceful voting. The Election Commission of India has designated 17,032 polling stations as “critical” and 5,260 booths with all-women polling staff.
The results of the elections will be declared on December 3.
