Campaigning for the Amarwara assembly bypoll in Chhindwara district concluded with top leaders, including Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and Congress' Jitu Patwari, vying for voter support. The electoral battle, with nine candidates in the fray, is largely between the ruling BJP and Congress. The voting is scheduled for July 10.

Campaigning for the Amarwara assembly bypoll in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh concluded on Monday evening. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and senior Congress leaders made last-minute efforts to woo voters for their respective candidates.

Besides Yadav, a senior BJP politician, state Congress chief Jitu Patwari and Leader of Opposition in the assembly Umang Singhar also participated in canvassing before the July 10 voting. The bypoll comes weeks after the BJP swept the Lok Sabha polls in the state.

Nine candidates are contesting in Amarwara, but the main fight is between Congress and the ruling BJP. Yadav, facing his first electoral test as Chief Minister, campaigned for BJP candidate Kamlesh Shah, promising rapid development of the constituency.

Three-time Congress MLA Shah had switched to the BJP on March 29, necessitating the by-election. In the 2023 assembly polls, Shah, then a Congress candidate, defeated BJP's Monika Manmohan Shah Batti by a margin of 25,086 votes.

Patwari and Singhar held rallies supporting Congress candidate Dheeran Shah Invati, calling BJP's Shah a betrayer. The Gondwana Gantantra Party, represented by Devraman Bhalavi, also remains relevant, having previously won Amarwara in 2003.

The Congress has historically won the seat nine times, compared to BJP's three wins. Polling will commence at 7 am on July 10, while counting is scheduled for July 13. Recently, BJP secured a lead of over 15,000 votes in Amarwara during the general elections. The party won all 29 Lok Sabha constituencies in Madhya Pradesh.

(Disclaimer: With inputs from agencies.)