New Delhi, Dec 01: Five persons, including a woman, were killed and more than 24 injured in poll-related violence and communal clashes in Madhya Pradesh which went to assembly polls along with Delhi, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh today with an estimated 57 per cent of the 9.34 crore electorate exercising their franchise. Curfew was imposed in Chhatripura area of Indore in Madhya Pradesh following clashes between two communities and arson over poll-related disputes while in neighbouring Chhattisgarh, naxalites, who issued a poll-boycott call, traded gunfire with police and snatched EVMs at some polling booths in Bastar region.
The Election Commission ordered repolling in 70 polling stations on December 03 in Madhya Pradesh (23), Rajasthan (12) and Chhattisgarh (35) where the franchise exercise was disrupted due to various reasons including snatching of electronic voting machines (EVMs) by naxalites, who had given a poll boycott call, in Bijapur constituency in tribal Bastar region.
The desert state of Rajasthan recorded the highest voter turnout of 60 per cent while cosmopolitan Delhi registered the lowest 48-50 per cent. Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh recorded identical polling of about 60 per cent.
Madhya Pradesh bore the brunt of poll-related violence claiming five lives in Bhind district including that of a woman caught in a cross fire between two rival groups. The other four were killed in clashes between rival groups. Bureau Report