NOTA gets record 2.18 lakh votes in Indore where Congress candidate withdrew

BJP's sitting MP from Indore Shankar Lalwani won on Tuesday by a record margin of 11,75,092 votes in a contest where NOTA created a record with 2.18 lakh voters opting for the 'none of the above' option in the Lok Sabha elections.

His victory margin is probably the highest in the country's electoral history, a BJP leader claimed.

In Tikamgarh (SC) seat, Union minister Virendra Kumar emerged victorious as he defeated his Congress rival Pankaj Ahirwar by 4,03,312 votes.

The Congress had received a jolt in the Indore Lok Sabha seat after its candidate Akshay Kanti Bam withdrew his nomination on April 29, the last date for the withdrawal of nominations.

Bam later joined the BJP, prompting the Congress to appeal to the people to press the NOTA option on EVMs during polling in Indore on May 13.

Lalwani had secured victory for the first time in the 2019 elections.

Virendra Kumar remained undefeated in the Tikamgarh Lok Sabha seat since 2009 and won the elections for the fourth time in a row.

Earlier, he represented Sagar Lok Sabha seat for four terms but after delimitation in 2008, he shifted to Tikamgarh.