The polling of 230-member Madhya Pradesh ended on Wednesday evening with a voter percentage of 74.61 till 6 pm, poll officials said.
The voting began at 8 am and continued till 5 pm in 227 seats, while in three assembly segments in the Naxal-affected Balaghat district - Lanji, Paraswada and Baihar - voting timings are from 7 am to 3 pm.
Around 1,145 EVMs and 1,545 Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines were replaced after complaints of technical snags, MP's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) VL Kantha Rao said. Following complaints of malfunctioning of EVMs, senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia demanded that the Election Commission make up for the time wasted in replacing faulty EVMs by extending the polling time in the booths concerned.
About 2.5 per cent (polling) machines were replaced, Rao said, adding this percentage was around two per cent in other states where elections were held recently.
Three employees died due to "health reasons" while performing poll duty in Dhar, Indore and Guna districts, he said.
At Gadhpura village in Bhind district, a person was injured in violence but it was not poll-related, he said. The incident happened "far from the booth" and was related to enmity between two groups, he added.
As many as 2,899 candidates, including 1,094 independents, are in the fray for the 230 seats, but the main contest is between the Congress and BJP. The state has nearly 5.04 crore eligible voters. This high-stakes electoral battle will witness the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) eyeing a fourth straight term and Opposition Congress fighting for a comeback. The outcome of this Assembly elections could prove as a precursor to the Lok Sabha 2019 elections. Results will be declared on December 11.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is the Bharatiya Janata Party's candidate from Budhni seat, and his wife Sadhana Singh cast their votes at his native village Jait, which is part of his Assembly constituency. Over three lakh government employees, including nearly 45,000 women, are on poll duty across the state.
Asked about reports that some EVMs were found in a hotel, Rao said, "We have got the information that a sector officer in Shujalpur was staying in a hotel along with ballot machines. On getting information, the officers reached the hotel and seized the machine. The officer concerned was removed (from poll duty) and the polling team was sent along with a new sector officer."
"There were several complaints that EVMs at many places malfunctioned. We asked requested the Election Commission that voting time in these polling booths should be extended to compensate for the delay," Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia said in the afternoon, while polling was on.
The Guna MP said the Election Commission should compensate for time wasted in replacing the EVMs by extending polling time in those booths.
"Several reports are coming from across the state that EVMs are not working. This has been affecting the polling. Long queues are being witnessed in the city. EC should immediately take decision. The EVMs should be changed," state Congress chief Kamal Nath tweeted when voting was in progress.
Responding to the demand, CEC OP Rawat had said in Delhi that there are provisions for the extension of time and local officers (in Madhya Pradesh) can take the call on the matter.
Kamal Nath cast his vote in Chhindwara district while Scindia, the party's state campaign committee chief, exercised his franchise in Gwalior.
The battle of ballots in Madhya Pradesh is just months ahead of the Lok Sabha polls slated in the first half of 2019.
Altogether 2,899 candidates were in the fray. The state has 5.04 crore eligible voters.
Also, 3,00,782 government employees, including 45,904 women, were on poll duty and 65,341 polling stations were set up.
(With PTI Inputs)
