MP by-polls: Angry tribals gherao PS in Vijaypur, polling resumes after halt

Voting for by-polls in Madhya Pradesh's Budhni and Vijaypur was underway under heavy security by police personnel and allegations of booth capturing in 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 prevented from exercising their right to vote by supporters of BJP candidate Ramniwas Rawat, who forced them to return home without casting their votes.

Polling was disrupted for half-an-hour at a Kheda polling booth. Sheopur district collector Kishor Kumar Kanyal said voting at the booth resumed after a brief halt and the situation was under control. He said the poll was disrupted owing to a conflict between two groups on the 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 the 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 by-polls and said his party has decided to lodge a complaint with the Election Commission of India.

"People are being barred from exercising their right to vote and booths are being captured at several places in Vijaypur. Vijaypur by-election has become an election that has shredded the decorum of democracy. Now there is absolutely no fairness left in this election," Patwari alleged.

The contest in Vijaypur is between the BJP's Ramniwas Rawat and Congress nominee Mukesh Malhotra. By-polls were necessitated after Rawat, who was elected MLA from Vijaypur in November last year on a Congress ticket, resigned from the party and state Assembly. The six-time former MLA later joined the BJP and is at present the state forest minister in chief minister Mohan Yadav's Cabinet.