Voting for Madhya Pradesh’s all 230 assembly seats began at 7 a.m. today. The voters can cast their ballots until 6 p.m., except in the Baihar, Lanji, and Parswara assembly seats of Balaghat district and some booths in Mandla and Dindori districts, where voting will be held until 3 p.m.

BJP is seeking to retain power in the state where it has ruled for almost 18 of the past 20 years and Congress is keen to oust the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government. The webcasting facility has been made available at about 42,000 polling stations. Nearly 700 companies of the central forces and two lakh police personnel of the state have been deployed for security during the poll.

The election will decide the electoral fate of over 2,500 candidates. Nearly 5.59 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise. It includes 2.87 crore male and 2.71 crore women voters.

There are over 5,000 booths run by women and 183 polling stations run by the disabled, officials said.

The polls, coming nearly six months ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, are crucial for both the BJP and Congress for various reasons.

#WATCH | Madhya Pradesh Elections | Ajead of casting his vote, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan says “There is immense excitement among people everywhere. I am getting love from Ladli Behna, children, youth and the elderly in the state…” pic.twitter.com/dED2FbUFyg

— ANI (@ANI) November 17, 2023

The BJP apparently has gone for “collective leadership” and has not projected Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as its clear choice for the chief ministerial post but there is no ambiguity in the Congress with Kamal Nath as its clear choice for the post. A reason for the BJP banking on collective leadership is the perceived “fatigue factor” with the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government. Though Shivraj Singh Chouhan may not be personally facing anti-incumbency, there have been reports of a yearning for change among sections of the population.

The party is heavily relying on the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has addressed rallies in the state and targeted the Congress. Congress leaders have tried to make “corruption” and ‘unemployment”, ” price rises,” and “problems of farmers” big election issues.

#WATCH | Madhya Pradesh: Union Minister and BJP candidate from Narshinghpur Prahlad Patel says, “I come to the shores to ask for Maa’s (Narmada) mercy… I ask for strength so that I can do better in my life, not for myself but for society and the country… Maa Narmada is the… pic.twitter.com/tEpvfKAdlQ

— ANI (@ANI) November 17, 2023

Bahujan Samaj Party, Aam Aadmi Party and Samajwadi Party are also in the fray in the Hindi heartland state and political parties have made special efforts to woo OBCs, Dalits, women, tribals and youth, who will decide the election.

The election is also crucial for Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who led 22 Congress MLAs to join the BJP in 2020 to bring down the 15-month-old Kamal Nath government. Though Scindia is not in the fray, many of his loyalists have been given tickets by the BJP, and there is a tussle with the BJP’s old guard over ticket distribution on some seats.

(With inputs from agencies)