Bhopal: Voting for bypolls in Madhya Pradesh’s Budhni and Vijaypur was underway under heavy security by police personnel and allegations of booth capturing at several places.
Around 500 villagers from the tribal community in Veerpur block in Vijaypur surrounded the local police station and staged a protest, alleging that they were prohibited from exercising their right to vote.
Tribals alleged that BJP candidate Ramniwas Rawat’s supporters forced them to return home without casting their votes.
Polling was disrupted for half-an-hour at Kheda polling booth.
Sheopur District Collector Kishor Kumar Kanyal said voting at the Kheda polling booth resumed after a brief halt and the situation was under control.
He said the poll was disrupted due to a conflict between two groups at the polling premises.
“People from two groups created a ruckus at a polling booth, following which a large number of villagers surrounded the local police station. However, the situation was brought under control and polling resumed after a brief halt,” Kanyal said.
In another instance, villagers staged a protest on Sheopur-Morena highway, alleging that they were not allowed to enter a polling station.
MP Congress chief Jitu Patwari accused the district administration and police of favouring the BJP in the bypolls and said that they have decided to lodge a complaint with the Election Commission.
“People are being barred from exercising their right to vote and booths are being captured at several places in Vijaypur. Vijaypur bye-election has become an election that has shredded the decorum of democracy. Now there is absolutely no fairness left in this election,” Jitu Patwari alleged.
The contest in Vijaypur is between BJP’s Ramniwas Rawat and Congress nominee Mukesh Malhotra.
Bypolls were necessitated after Rawat, who was elected MLA from Vijaypur in November last year on the Congress symbol, resigned from the party and state Assembly.
Six-time former MLA, Rawat later joined the BJP and at present, he is state forest minister in Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s Cabinet.
–IANS
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