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Datia (MP), Jul 30 (PTI): The by-election to the Datia Assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh recorded 71.44 per cent voter turnout on Thursday, with polling passing off peacefully amid tight security, officials said.

The Congress, however, alleged abuse of power and poll irregularities, charges rejected by the district administration.

Polling began at 7 am and concluded at 6 pm. District Election Officer and Datia collector Swapnil Wankhade told PTI that voters had begun arriving at polling stations early morning and were enthusiastic.

"The voting was completely peaceful, and 71.44 per cent turnout was recorded," he said.

Wankhade said no complaints were received from any polling station and all electronic voting machines (EVMs) had been securely stored in the strong room at the Polytechnic College under CCTV surveillance and armed security. Votes will be counted on August 3.

He said the administration had received a report of a poll boycott in Basai village over a demand for a road, but the issue was resolved through discussion. He said voting was subsequently completed successfully.

Officials said a total of 291 polling stations -- 186 were in rural areas and 105 in urban areas -- were set up in the constituency and 21 candidates were in the fray. The constituency has 1,16,088 male and 1,04,246 female voters.

The 2023 assembly election in Datia had recorded its highest-ever voter turnout of 80.20 per cent.

The Congress alleged blatant misuse of official machinery during polling. Sharing a video on X, it claimed police removed a Congress polling agent from polling station number 51 at Ramsagar without giving any reason, allegedly to facilitate booth capturing.

"The Election Commission should immediately intervene, conduct an impartial investigation into the entire matter, and take strict action against the culprits. If only opposition polling agents are removed during elections, it is natural to raise serious questions about the fairness of democracy," the party said.

Rejecting the allegations, Wankhade said no polling agent was removed from any booth. He said some people standing away from polling stations, including BJP and Azad Samaj Party workers, were asked to leave.

Officials said 16 companies of security forces were deployed in view of the voting, and a control room was set up to respond to complaints immediately. Police and administration remained vigilant during the voting, keeping a close watch on suspicious individuals, they said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Ashutosh Tiwari, while the Congress has nominated Ghanshyam Singh. Damodar Singh Yadav of the Azad Samaj Party is also in the fray, making it a three-cornered contest, though the main fight is between the BJP and the Congress.

Besides, 18 other candidates are contesting and could influence the electoral outcome.

Though the outcome of the by-election will have no bearing on the stability of the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh, the party's decision to deny a ticket to former home minister Narottam Mishra has made the contest politically significant.

Mishra cast his vote and claimed victory for the BJP candidate. Congress candidate Ghanshyam Singh, after casting his vote, claimed that he was receiving overwhelming support from the people and that his party would emerge victorious.

BJP candidate Tiwari visited several polling stations to review voting arrangements and said people were participating enthusiastically in the democratic process. He expressed confidence that voters would back BJP's development and good governance.

State Congress President Jitu Patwari said in a post on X, "Thousands of Congress workers are on the front lines for the victory of democracy! Datia has decided to give a befitting reply to government anarchy in Madhya Pradesh." Earlier, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, Leader of the Opposition Umang Singhar, BJP state unit president Hemant Khandelwal, and several other leaders, including Patwari, posted on social media platforms appealing to voters to vote in large numbers.

The BJP replaced Mishra with Tiwari, who has a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) background.

In the 2023 assembly elections, Congress' Rajendra Bharti defeated Mishra by over 7,500 votes. However, a Delhi court sentenced Bharti to three years' imprisonment in a fraud case in April, following which the seat became vacant. PTI MAS RHL

(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)