Datia (M.P.) – Voting for the Datia assembly by-election in Madhya Pradesh ended peacefully on Thursday with an estimated 71.40% turnout till 6 PM, officials said. The final figure may go up once data from all booths is compiled. Polling started at 7 AM and was held at 291 polling stations for 2.20 lakh voters. District Magistrate and Election Officer Swapnil Wankhade said no major incident was reported during the day. Main Contest A total of 21 candidates are in the fray. The key fight is expected between BJP’s Ashutosh Tiwari and Congress’ Ghanshyam Singh. Damodar Singh Yadav of Azad Samaj Party is also contesting and aims to make it a three-way race. Allegations & Response Congress alleged that its polling agent at booth no. 51 in Ramsagar was removed by police, and demanded an inquiry. The party posted a video on X and said such actions raise questions on fair elections. DM Wankhade denied the charge and said only some people, including BJP and ASP workers, were asked to move away from outside the booth. Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh cast his vote at booth 185 and expressed confidence of victory. BJP candidate Tiwari visited several booths and said voters would choose “development and good governance”. Former minister Narottam Mishra also voted and said BJP will win. ASP candidate Yadav called it a “festival of democracy”. State Congress chief Jitu Patwari monitored polling from Dinara. CM Mohan Yadav, LoP Umang Singhar and BJP state president Hemant Khandelwal urged people to vote. Background In the 2023 assembly polls, Congress’ Rajendra Bharti had won the seat by over 7,500 votes against Narottam Mishra. The seat fell vacant in April after Bharti was sentenced to 3 years in a fraud case by a Delhi court. He is currently out on bail. Counting of votes will be held on August 3. Post navigation PM Modi Reviews Global Crisis, Orders Plan To Protect Seafarers
