Team News Riveting
Raipur, November 16
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has made all necessary preparations including throwing a thick security blanket to ensure free and fair polling in the second and final phase of elections on Friday.
The remaining 70 assembly constituencies of the 90 in Chhattisgarh will go to the polls on Friday. The first phase of elections in the 20 constituencies were held on November 7.
“All necessary preparations including security have been put in place for the second phase of polls in 70 assembly constituencies going for voting on November 17,” Chhattisgarh’s Chief Electoral Officer Reena Babasaheb Kangale said. The 70 assembly constituencies are spread over 22 districts.
The polling time has been reduced in a few stations of Bindranawagarh for security reasons. Kangale said polling will be held from 7 am to 3 pm only in nine polling stations of Bindranwagarh assembly constituency that included Kamarbhaudi, Aamora, Odh, Bade Gobra, Ganwargaon, Gariba, Nagesh, Sahbinakchhar and Kodomali. Apart from these, voters will exercise their franchise from 8 am to 5 pm in the remaining polling stations besides 69 other assembly constituencies.
In all, 958 candidates are in the fray to enter the state legislative assembly. Of them, 827 are men, 130 women and one third gender.
In the second phase, 1,63,14,479 voters including 81,41,624 male voters, 81,72,171 female voters and 684 third gender voters will exercise their franchise. A total of 18,833 polling stations have been set up for the convenience of the voters. The poll panel has set up 700 Sangwari polling stations where only women polling personnel have been deployed.
In the 2018 assembly election, 76.62 per cent turn out was reported in the second phase of elections.
