Voting in Madhya Pradesh: Five constituencies to look out for

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The political landscape in Madhya Pradesh is heating up ahead of the single-phase polls on November 17, which will be conducted across 230 constituencies. The primary contenders - the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress - are poised for a tight contest similar to the one they witnessed during the 2018 polls.

"Tomorrow is polling day for 230 assembly constituencies in Madhya Pradesh. Voting will start at 7:00 am and conclude at 6:00 pm in the state. But voting will be held from 7 am to 3 pm in assembly constituencies in Balaghat namely, Baihar, Lanji and Paraswada assembly constituency. Along with this, voting at 55 polling stations in Mandla district and 40 polling stations in Dindori district will also be held from 7 am to 3 pm. The reason for this is that these three districts are Naxal-affected districts in the state," MP Chief Electoral Officer Anupam Rajan said in a press conference today.

Amid the fervour, here are a few constituencies to look out for tomorrow as the central India state votes:

Gwalior East: The BJP's choice of Maya Singh over Munnalal Goyal, a former BJP leader close to Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, has sparked unrest. Goyal, who switched from Congress to BJP, expressed discontent over the decision, creating a challenge for the BJP. Congress, meanwhile, is fielding Satish Sikarwar which has intensified the contest.

Chachoda: The battle between Digvijaya Singh's brother, Lakshman Singh, and former Congress leader Priyanka Meena, now with the BJP, has raised the stakes for the constituency seat, according to reports.

Bhopal North: Reports suggest that the Bhopal North constiuency has been a stronghold for Congress leader Atiq Aqueel, however, the grand-old party has now nominated his son Atiq due to concerns over Arif's health. Meanwhile, the BJP views this as an opportunity to breach the barriers and win over the seat; they have fielded Ashok Sharma as its candidate. The expulsion of rebel candidates added complexity to the race.

Badnawar: The saffron party's Rajvardhan Singh Dattigaon faces off against Congress' Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat, a former BJP member. The two leaders represent Rajput community. The controversy and party switch have raised the stakes in this seat.

Hoshangabad: In this assembly constituency, a notable political contest emerged as two brothers, both in their 70s, Sitasharan Sharma of the BJP and Girija Shankar Sharma of the Congress, were fielded against each other. Although the seat has been a BJP stronghold since 1990, the anticipation of the future makes the standoff for this seat interesting.