50% polling till 3 pm in Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal, Nov 28 The polling for 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly started on Wednesday morning. The voting started at 8 am and will continue till 5 pm in 227 seats, while in three assembly segments in the Naxal-affected Balaghat locale - Lanji, Paraswada and Baihar - voting timings are from 7 am to 3 pm.

Upwards of 2,899 candidates, including 1,094 independents, are in the shred for the 230 seats, but the main contest is between the Congress and BJP. The state has about 5.04 crore eligible voters.

This high-stakes electoral fight will witness the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) looking at a fourth straight term and Opposition Congress fighting for a comeback. The result of this Assembly elections could prove as a precursor to the Lok Sabha 2019 elections.

Results will be announced on December 11.