Bhopal: Low polling in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh has left both BJP and Congress worried.
Despite prodding by Union home minister Amit Shah to the state BJP leadership to improve voting after the low polling in the first phase of elections in Madhya Pradesh, the second phase polling on Friday witnessed a dip in voter turnout by 9.05 percent over the voting in these seats in the last LS polls.
A senior BJP functionary told this newspaper that senior leaders of the party in the state have started reviewing the situation to ascertain the cause of low polling in the second phase and take measures to improve voting in the final two phases of elections in the state in which eight and nine LS constituencies are going to polls on May seven and May 13 respectively.
“Preliminary study into the matter has indicated that April 26 was an auspicious day in Hindu calendar to conduct weddings and other functions. Most wedding functions in the year were held on that day. That is the key reason for the dip in the polling percentage in the second phase of elections in Madhya Pradesh”, the BJP leader said, requesting not to be quoted.
The six LS constituencies which went to the polls in the second phase polling in Madhya Pradesh were Khajuraho, Rewa, Satna, Damoh, Tikamgarh and Hosangabad.
Interestingly, Khajuraho LS constituency, where state BJP president Vishnu Dutt Sharma is seeking re-election, had witnessed the biggest dip in polling percentage by 11.39 percent as compared to the voting in the seat in the last LS polls.
Similarly, Rewa LS constituency recorded lowest polling (49.44 percent) among the six seats which went to the polls in the second phase in the state.
Significantly, deputy chief minister in the state government Dr Rajendra Shukla hails from the region.
Despite the fall in polling percentage in the first two phases of elections, BJP leaders say there is no reason to worry much about it.
“BJP had performed extremely well in the November, 2023 Assembly elections in the 47 Assembly seats coming under these six LS constituencies despite a steep fall in polling by a whopping 17 percent over the 2018 Assembly elections”, the BJP functionary said.
BJP had won 40 of the 47 Assembly seats, leaving Congress to bag the remaining seven seats.
“We are also worried over the fall in polling percentage in the first two phases of elections in the state”, a senior Congress functionary said, unwilling to be quoted.
According to him, the party’s state brass is going to meet soon to review the situation and chalk out a strategy to improve voting in the final two phases of elections.
The first phase of elections in the state, in which six LS seats went to polls, had witnessed a fall in polling by 7.32 percent.
EOM
