The voting completed with 77.32% and 77.85% voter turnout in Budhni and Vijaypur assembly seats of Madhya Pradesh amid mild violence, protest and allegations of booth capturing on Wendesday.

Congress state president Jitu Patwari and BJP state president VD Sharma sat on dharna near the Election Commission of India (ECI)’s office in Bhopal, accusing each other’s party of fake voting and booth capturing.

In Vijaypur, forest minister and BJP candidate Ramniwas Rawat and Congress candidate Mukesh Malhotra were kept under house arrest by police in view of maintaining law and order.

The tribal voters of Telipura polling booth of Vijaypur protested at Veerpur police station and blocked the Sheopur-Morena road, accusing the Rawat community of trying to capture the booth and casting fake votes.

Thesimilar complaints were made by voters of Andhipura and Khadi village.

Patwari wrote on X, “Democracy is taking last breath in Madhya Pradesh. The Election Commission is requested to immediately take cognizance of this situation and give the voters an opportunity to exercise their constitutional right.”

BJP leaders complained to the Chief Electoral Officer on Wednesday afternoon that supporters of Congress candidate Rajkumar Patel from Budhni were creating ruckus and threatening voters by pelting stones in Budhni assembly constituency. In Vijaypur too, Congress workers misbehaved with booth-level officers at many places.

In Budhni, Union minister and former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan left no stone unturned to ensure the win of BJP candidate Ramakant Bhargava as it’s his home turf. In Vijaypur, six-time ex-Congress MLA Ramniwas Rawat, who joined the BJP during the Lok Sabha election and became forest minister a few months ago, is trying to save his seat.