BHOPALl/INDORE: The gruesome murder of a Congress corporator early on Friday cast a shadow over polling in MP, which was marred by violence also during voting.

Despite this, the turnout was 76.1% by 11pm, well past the 75.6% reported in 2018 and expected to cross the 80% mark.Women, who make up 48.5% of MP's 5.6 crore electorate, seemed to outnumber men in the queues but exact figures were not available.Hours before voting, Khajuraho corporator Salman Khan, who was accompanying Congress candidate Vikram Singh Natiraja, was mowed down by vehicles that were allegedly part of BJP candidate Arvind Pateria's convoy after an altercation over right of way in a village in Chhatarpur.

A murder case has been registered against Pateria and 18 others.

He denied the charges.Officials said incidents of violence had been reported from 23 places.

There was a bomb attack on a Congress office in Jabalpur in which a police officer was injured.

There were reports of shots being fired too.No cases of violence in Red zones: MP poll panel chiefReports of violence kept coming in from different regions all day.

Officials said incidents of violence had been reported from 23 places, with major flashpoints being Dimani, Ater, Mhow, Indore-1 and Indore-2 constituencies.

Close to 200 complaints of poll code violation were reported.In Dimani, where Union minister Narottam Singh Tomar is in the fray, there were allegations of gunfire and stone-pelting at two booths.

Many were injured and one of the victims, Prince Tomar, is in critical condition with shrapnel injuries to the head.

Police, however, denied any shots were fired.In Bhind’s Mehgaon seat, BJP candidate Rakesh Shukla’s PSO fired shots in the air after the leader was surrounded by a mob in Manharh village.Clashes were reported in Bhopal and Indore, too, during voting.

In Indore-4 seat, MLA Malini Gaud’s son Eklavya was booked by police for allegedly attacking a Congress worker in Sindhi Colony.

Videos have emerged of the incident.Fights broke out in Indore-1 area as well, where BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya is taking on Congress MLA Sanjay Shukla.Two groups clashed in tribal-dominated Manglia village of Mhow during polling on Friday morning.

Five people were injured, including one who had two fingers chopped off by a sword.The Congress corporator’s gruesome death happened in front of several witnesses.

The incident took place in Akona village of Rajnagar assembly constituency at 4am, three hours before polling began.

Natiraja said, “We received information that BJP workers were creating disturbances on Toria Road.

When we confronted them, BJP workers began hurling abuses.

During the altercation, I re-entered the car but Salman, who was driving, was outside and BJP workers ran him over.

When I rushed to help, they tried to target me as well.”MP elections: Congress workers beaten up in Indore, party alleges large-scale violence by BJPPateria refuted the charges, saying, “They were drunk, their vehicles collided, and one person died.

They are blaming me for this.”State chief electoral officer Anupam Rajan, however, said, “Polling is going on peacefully, barring a few skirmishes.

No major incident of violence was reported from Maoist-affected districts.”While Sailana topped the turnout table at 90%, Jobat was the lowest at 54.4%.As of 11pm, at least 87 of 230 constituencies in the state reported more than 75% voter turnout (27% reporting over 80%) but polling was below 60% in 16 constituencies.

The final numbers are likely to be higher.Among high-profile seats, Budhni, where CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan is seeking re-election, reported 81.6% polling, while Chhindwara, where former CM Kamal Nath is contesting, saw a turnout of 81.5%.

Indore-1 reported comparatively low polling of 62.3%.