Madhya Pradesh police personnel on poll duty cast their votes for the State Assembly elections, in Bhopal on November 9.
PTI Photo
As Madhya Pradesh braces for the crucial election to elect 230 members of its Legislative Assembly, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress (INC) are gearing up for an intense showdown. The electoral battle is set to unfold on November 17, with the destiny of the state hanging in the balance until the results are unveiled on December 3.
In the last Assembly elections held in 2018, the Congress emerged as the largest party and its leader Kamal Nath took oath as the Chief Minister. However, a significant number of Congress MLAs later defected to the BJP, leading to the collapse of the government and Nath's resignation. Consequently, the BJP assumed power in the state with Shivraj Singh Chouhan taking over as Chief Minister.
Here, we take a look at the five constituencies that witnessed the tightest contests in the 2018 Assembly elections.
1. In Gwalior South, Congress candidate Praveen Pathak defeated BJP candidate Narayan Singh Kushwah by a margin of 121 votes.
2. In Suwasra, Congress candidate Dang Hardeepsingh defeated BJP candidate Radheshyam Nanalal Patidar by a margin of 350 votes.
3. In Jaora, BJP candidate Rajendra Pandey 'Raju Bhaiya' defeated Congress candidate K K Sing Kalukheda by a margin of 511 votes.
4. In Jabalpur North, Congress candidate Vinay Saxena defeated BJP candidate Sharad Jain by a margin of 578 votes.
5. In Bina, BJP candidate Mahesh Rai defeated Congress candidate Shashi Kathoria by a margin of 632 votes.