MP assembly polls: State BJP Chief VD Sharma casts his vote, appeals voters to vote in maximum number

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief VD Sharma exercised his franchise for the state assembly polls on Friday and appealed to the voters of the state to cast votes in maximum numbers.
"I have used my voting power. I appeal to voters of the state to vote as much as possible for the development of Madhya Pradesh, for the welfare of the poor and for the work that has been done under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the mantra of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas. They (voters) should play their role by voting in ensuring the development of the state and ensuring the welfare of the people," Sharma said.
When asked about the party's key issue for the polls, the BJP leader said that the development which happened in the state would be their biggest trump card for the poll.
"The development that has taken place in Madhya Pradesh, earlier it was a sick state during Congress tenure, we made it a developed state. Now it is our resolve to make the state a golden Madhya Pradesh. Along with development and poor welfare, the Bharatiya Janata Party government has worked to change the lives of every poor, this is the biggest basis," BJP chief said.
"BJP workers are standing strong at every booth. They (BJP) have the resolution to win every booth this time. It is the strength of the BJP and they are getting the blessing of the public", Sharma added.
Madhya Pradesh recorded a voter turnout of 28.18 per cent while neighbouring Chhattisgarh saw 19. 67 per cent polling in the second phase till 11.30 am on Friday, according to data shared by the Election Commission.
Voting for Madhya Pradesh's all 230 assembly seats began at 7 am today. The voters can cast their ballots until 6 pm, except in the Baihar, Lanji, and Paraswada assembly seats of Balaghat district and some booths in Mandla and Dindori districts, where voting will be held till 3 pm.
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 counting of votes for the five states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram will be done on December 3.