Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Repolling at four polling stations under Multai Assembly constituency of Betul Lok Sabha is currently underway as a few Electronic voting machines (EVM) were damaged in a fire accident earlier. Lok Sabha elections for the Betul seat were held on May 7 (Tuesday).
The Election Commission of India (ECI) ordered repolling at four booths in Madhya Pradesh's Betul Lok Sabha seat on May 10 (Friday) after EVMs were damaged when a bus ferrying them and polling officials caught fire on Tuesday night.
The repolling is being held at the following parliamentary seat-
- Rajapur
- Kunda Raiyat
- Chikhlimal
- Dudar Raiyat of the Multai assembly segment
Notably, this time around, indelible ink will be applied on voters' middle fingers, and for those casting vote for the first time, ink will be applied on their index finger.
"As per the direction of ECI, we are applying ink on the middle finger. We have motivated the people of the village and have informed those who reside outside that they should come and vote," an administrative officer Rajesh Kumar Dubey said.
Among the 3,037 eligible voters across the four constituencies, 2,346 had cast their votes on the previous polling day on May 7. The administration is hopeful that the voter turnout will reach a satisfactory level this time, aiming for a 70 per cent turnout across all four constituencies. This marks the first instance in 72 years where voters across all four constituencies will have the opportunity to cast their ballots again.
Earlier, a bus carrying polling officials and EVM caught fire in Betul district while returning from Goula village. There were 36 people on the bus. Betul SP Nischal Jharia said the fire broke out due to a mechanical fault but no one suffered any injuries in the incident.
"The polling personnel left with EVMs of six polling booths. The fire broke out due to a mechanical fault. Two EVMs are undamaged while four others suffered a little damage to their parts. There were 36 people on the bus. They jumped out of the bus by somehow breaking the glass on the windows of the bus as its doors got jammed. They did not suffer injuries. They were sent ahead on another bus. A case has been registered in this regard," Betul SP Nischal Jharia told media.
Phase 3 polling in Madhya Pradesh
During the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 7, nine seats in Madhya Pradesh including Betul, Guna, Morena, Bhind, Rajgarh, Vidisha, Gwalior, and Bhopal, cast ballots in the state with an approximate voting turnout percentage of 66.05 per cent.
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