Team News Riveting
Raipur, November 7
Amidst Maoists making vain attempts to disturb the election process, Chhattisgarh Tuesday recorded over 71 per cent polling in the first phase of elections.
The 20 assembly constituencies including 12 in the Bastar region, once infamous for the deadly Maoists violence, went to the polls today. The polling in the remaining 90 constituencies will take place on November 17.
Though the final figure is yet to be compiled, officials said the percentage is slightly less than the 2018 assembly elections. However, in the Maoists-infested constituencies, people came out in good numbers to exercise their franchise despite poll boycott calls and threat from the rebels.
Maoists call to boycott polls in Chhattisgarh has virtually failed to deter people from exercising their franchise as around 71 per cent voting was recorded till 5 pm in 20 constituencies that went to polls in the first phase of state elections on Tuesday.
“70.87 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 5 pm in the first phase of Chhattisgarh elections on Tuesday”, a poll official said. Bhanupratappur recorded the highest 79.1 per cent while hypersensitive Bijapur registered 40.98 per cent polling. In the 2018 and 2013 assembly elections, 77.40 per cent and 76.35 per cent polling was recorded respectively.
The officials said the figure was likely to go up as many polling parties, specially in the interior areas of Bastar, were yet to return to the headquarters. Of the 20 assembly constituencies where elections were held in the first phase, voting was held from 7 am to 3 pm in 10 seats coming in the Maoist-infested areas while in the remaining 10 seats, voters exercised their franchise from 8 am to 5 pm.
The polling parties in the interior areas have been shifted to the nearest camps of the security forces in Bastar. They would be airlifted by Indian Air Force (IAF) choppers on Wednesday. The security forces are exercising maximum precaution to shift the polling parties fearing Maoists ambush on the route.
The Maoists had been trying to inflict major incidents in the area but failed due to high alertness of the security forces. However, a BSF jawan was martyred who was injured in an IED blast in Rengawahi area of Kanker district. The jawan sustained serious injuries in the blast triggered while he was escorting a polling party on Monday. He was shifted to a hospital in Raipur where he succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday.
The security forces claimed that over half a dozen Maoists were killed today when they ambushed the parties at different places in Bastar. The police had released a video captured from a drone in which over 100 Maoists were seen carrying bodies of their colleague.
