BHOPAL: As many as 745 EVMs and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail machines were replaced Wednesday in Madhya Pradesh, where voting for the Assembly elections is underway, PTI reported quoting a senior poll official said. The announcement by state Chief Electoral Officer V L Kantha Rao came after Congress leaders claimed that EVMs at many places had malfunctioned.

"There have been several complaints that EVMs at many places malfunctioned. We have written to the Election Commission and demanded that voting time in these polling booths should be extended to compensate for the delay," Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia said.

Scindia said the Election Commission should compensate for time wasted in replacing the EVMs by extending polling time in those booths.

"Several reports are coming from across the state that EVMs are not working. This has been affecting the polling. Long queues are being witnessed in the city. EC should immediately take decision. The EVMs should be changed," state Congress chief Kamal Nath tweeted.

Responding to the demand, CEC O P Rawat said in Delhi that there are provisions for the extension of time and local officers (in Madhya Pradesh) can take the call on the matter.

Polling began at 7 a.m. in three Maoist-affected constituencies in Balaghat district, while votes were cast for the remaining 227 assembly seats starting 8 a.m.

Polling would end in the three constituencies -- Baihar, Lanji and Paraswada -- at 3 p.m, while it would continue till 5 p.m. in all the other constituencies.

The contest is mainly between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, though the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) are also in the fray.

(With inputs from agencies)