Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], November 13 (ANI): Polling for by-elections at two assembly seats- Budhni in Sehore district and Vijaypur seat in Sheopur district, in Madhya Pradesh are underway and voting turnout at these constituencies is recorded 51.16 per cent and 54.86 per cent till 1 pm respectively, according to the data released by the Election Commission of India.

Earlier, the voter turnout in Budhni was recorded 36.00 pc while Vijaypur stood at 38.26 per cent till 11 am in the state.

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Additionally, in the initial trend of polling till 9 am, the voter turnout of 16.90 per cent was recorded in Budhni while 17.86 per cent in Vijay assembly constituency in the state.

Budhni assembly seat is the bastion of senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and it got vacant as he got elected as Member of Parliament (MP) from Vidisha constituency in the recently concluded general election 2024. BJP candidate Ramakant Bhargava is contesting from Budhni seat while the Congress has fielded Rajkumar Patel.

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On the other hand, Vijaypur assembly seat in Sheopur district fell vacant after Ramniwas Rawat, who was sitting MLA from the seat from Congress party, quit the grand old party and joined the BJP amid the Lok Sabha elections in April this year. Rawat is contesting for the by-election on the symbol of BJP while the Congress has fielded Mukesh Malhotra from the seat.

Currently, Rawat is the Forest and Environment Minister in the cabinet of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.

BJP nominee Rawat exercised his franchise at a Government Higher Secondary School Sunbai for the by-elections and urged the public to utilise their voting rights.

"My priorities are to provide irrigation facilities, healthcare facilities and employment opportunities. I urge voters to exercise their franchise," Rawat told ANI.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav also appealed to voters to exercise their franchise in the state as well as wherever elections are being held across the country on Wednesday.

"Wherever elections are being held in Madhya Pradesh and the country, I would like to appeal to all that people must use their right to vote. The right to vote is the biggest strength of democracy. By-elections are going on in both Vijaypur and Budhni assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh," CM Yadav told ANI.

He further stressed that they have tried to work on all parameters of development since the government was formed in the state.

"I would like to say to all that since our government has been formed, we have tried to work on all parameters of development in our state. Our government has also taken Madhya Pradesh to great heights. In such a situation, we all want to take Madhya Pradesh further ahead under the leadership of the Prime Minister and want to make it the number one state in the entire country," he added.

Polling for the two assembly seats in Vijaypur assembly seat and Budhni seat are going on and will conclude at 6 pm. The counting of votes will be done on November 23. (ANI)

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