Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], April 26 : Polling for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections for six parliamentary seats in Madhya Pradesh- Tikamgarh (SC), Damoh, Khajuraho, Satna, Rewa and Hoshangabad started on Friday from 7 am onwards and will conclude till 6 pm.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav requested the people of these constituencies to exercise their franchise saying voters are the most important in the festival of democracy.
"Voters are the most important in the elections, the festival of democracy. In the second phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024, voting is being held today in six Lok Sabha constituencies - Satna, Rewa, Khajuraho, Tikamgarh, Damoh and Hoshangabad in the state. It is a humble request to all respected voters that by using the right to vote, you must discharge your responsibilities in building a bright future for the country," CM Yadav wrote on X.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Anupam Rajan also appealed the voters to cast their votes in the second phase of LS polls in the state.
"Today, polling is being held at six parliamentary seats in the state. On this occasion, I request the voters to cast their votes to their respective polling stations in the state. It is a big responsibility in democracy for us to exercise the franchise. Today, is the time when we discharge this responsibilty," Rajan told ANI.
Earlier, Rajan said, "There are a total of 1,11,62,460 voters for the second phase of LS polls in the state in which 58,32,333 are male, 53,29,972 female and 155 are third gender voters. There are 1,18,167 differently-abled voters, 64,703 voters are above 85 years and number of 100 years plus voters is 1108. The number of voters in the age group of 18-19 years is 3,29,317 and 13,230 are service voters."
A total of 47 assembly constituencies are included in these six Lok Sabha seats which are undergoing polling. There are 80 candidates in fray which include 75 men, four women and one third gender, Durga Masi who is contesting as an independent candidate from Damoh, he added.
There are a total of 12828 polling stations for the second phase of LS polls in the state. Of these polling stations, 2865 critical polling stations have been identified. Apart from this, there are 1,136 pink polling booths, where all the polling personnel are women, in the second phase of polling in the state, the officer further said.
He also said that all necessary arrangements were made at the polling booths and in view of heat, shades, water facilities and medical kits were also made available.
Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh are being conducted in four phases. The first phase of polling was held on April 19. The next two phases will be conducted on May 7 and May 13. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.
Madhya Pradesh has a total of 29 Lok Sabha constituencies, making it the sixth-largest state in terms of parliamentary representation. Out of these, 10 seats are reserved for SC and ST candidates, while the remaining 19 are unreserved.