Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Vadra try to encash temple visits during elections: Narottam Mishra

Taking a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Monday said that the brother-sister duo should visit temples more often and not only during polls. Mishra's remark came after Priyanka Gandhi paid a visit to a temple in Madhya Pradesh's Datia, a day before the scheduled polls. Bypolls for one Lok Sabha seat and three Assembly seats including Prithvipur, Raigaon (SC), Jobat (ST) were held on Saturday.  

"I welcome Priyanka ji to Datia. But sometimes they should visit after the elections as well. They always visit temples around the elections. They are welcome to Madhya Pradesh but they should visit before as well as after elections. I believe, taking support of the temples only during elections, is not good," Mishra told ANI. 

On October 30, Priyanka Gandhi visited Pitambara Peeth Temple in Datia, a day before by-polls to three assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh. While Rahul Gandhi visited the Kedarnath shrine along with Former MP CM Kamal Nath days before the 2018 assembly elections. 

MP By-polls

The by-elections of three assembly seats Raigaon, Jobat, Prithvipur Assembly, and one Lok Sabha seat Khandwa was held on October 31. A voter turnout of 65.32 percent was recorded in the by-polls to three Assembly seats and 63.88 percent in the Khandwa Lok Sabha constituency in Madhya Pradesh. In the by-elections held on Saturday, Jobat (reserved for Scheduled Tribes candidates), Prithvipur, and Raigaon (reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates) Assembly constituencies recorded 53.30 percent, 78.14 percent, and 69.01 percent polling, respectively, they said quoting late-night figures of the Election Commission.

During the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls in 2018, Jobat, Prithvipur, and Raigaon had registered a turnout of 52.84 percent, 79.61 percent, and 74.53 percent, respectively, they said. In Jobat, the voter turnout has been low as tribal workers migrate from there to other states in search of jobs, as per locals. Besides, the Khandwa Lok Sabha constituency recorded 63.88 percent polling on Saturday, as compared to 76.90 percent in the 2019 general elections.

A total of 48 candidates were in the fray in these four constituencies, the officials said. The by-elections were necessitated due to the death of sitting MLAs and an MP. The Khandwa Lok Sabha constituency and Raigaon Assembly seat were held by the BJP, while Jobat and Prithvipur Assembly seats were with the Congress.

(With ANI/PTI Inputs)