7.5% dip in Indore LS seat turnout amid Cong's support for NOTA in poll battle with BJP

Indore: The voter turnout in Madhya Pradesh's Indore Lok Sabha constituency, where the Congress was out of poll race, has decreased by about 7.5 per cent compared to the 2019 parliamentary election, as per official data.

While the BJP said voters in Indore did not like Congress' "negative appeal" to press the 'None of the Above' option on EVMs, the grand old party claimed no matter which candidate wins the Indore seat, NOTA will create a new national record.

Polling in Indore and seven other Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh was held on Monday during the fourth and last phase of the general elections in the state.

The Congress had urged voters to press the NOTA button on the electronic voting machines (EVMs) after its candidate Akshay Kanti Bam withdrew his nomination at the last minute and joined the BJP.

An official at the district election office, quoting provisional figures, on Tuesday said out of the 25.27 lakh eligible voters, 61.75 per cent exercised their franchise on Monday.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Indore recorded 69.31 per cent turnout with 5,045 voters opting for NOTA.

Madhya Pradesh BJP spokesperson Alok Dubey claimed voters in Indore did not like Congress' "negative appeal for NOTA" and expressed confidence that his party will retain its hold by winning the seat with a margin more than 10 lakh votes.

However, state Congress spokesperson Neelabh Shukla said, "No matter which candidate wins the Indore seat, NOTA will create a new national record." The grand old party has been out of the electoral race for the first time in the 72-year history of the Indore Lok Sabha seat.

The BJP, which has been defeating the Congress in Indore for last 35 years, this time renominated its sitting MP Shankar Lalwani.

Besides Lalwani, 13 other candidates were also in the fray in Indore.