Bhopal: Over 70 percent polling was recorded in four Lok Sabha constituencies in Madhya Pradesh this year, with Union Minister Kamal Nath`s traditional Chhindwara seat registering the highest at 79.05 percent, officials on Sunday said.
Madhya Pradesh has total of 29 Lok Sabha constituencies and polling was held in three phases on April 10, 17 and 24.
The overall turnout of voters in the state this time was 61.57 per cent, up by 10.4 per cent from 51.17 per cent in 2009, the election office sources said.
The four Lok Sabha seats where turnout was above 70 per cent (along with the 2009 percentage) are Chhindwara 79.05% (71.94%), Mandsaur 71.24% (55.82%), Khandwa 70.93% (60.40%) and Dewas 70.72% (60.63%).
While Rahul Gandhi`s confidante Meenakshi Natarajan contested from Mandsaur, state Congress chief Arun Yadav and Sajjan Singh Verma fought from Khandwa and Dewas seats respectively.
The 14 Lok Sabha seats, where polling was between 60-70% are Balaghat 68.10% (55.16%), Khargone 67.07% (67.38%), Mandla 66.68% (55.97%), Ujjain 66.56% (53.26%),Betul 66.48% (49.51%), Hoshangabad 65.76% (54.63%), Vidisha 65.63% (42.95%), Rajgarh 63.99% (51.45%), Dhar 63.96% (54.45%), Ratlam 63.52% (50.79%), Satna 62.68% (54.65%), Indore 62.25% (50.84%), Shahdol 62.20% (49.75%) and Guna 60.72% (54.19%).
In ten constituencies, it was between 50-60% while in Bhind it was even less than 50%, poll officials said.
The polling percentage in Bhind Lok Sabha seat was the lowest at just 45.63%. BJP had fielded Dr Bhagirath Prasad, who left Congress just a day after getting Congress nomination from the same seat. Congress later fielded Imarti Devi from there.
