Chhattisgarh sees 70% polling
1ST PHASE At least four Maoists killed, 2 CRPF jawans injured in related violence
Chattisgarh recorded a voter turnout of 70% as polling for 18 seats across eight districts ended on Monday in the first phase of the assembly election, even as four Maoists were reportedly killed in an encounter with security personnel in Bijapur district in poll-related violence.
“Voting has ended; turnout is 70% till now in the first phase of Chhattisgarh elections 2018. Final figures will come out later,” senior deputy election commissioner Umesh Sinha said at a press conference in New Delhi.
The highest voter turnout was recorded in Khuiji constituency – 72% of the electorate voted in the assembly constituency; the lowest turnout of 49% was in Dantewada. Kondagaon recorded a turnout of 61.47%, Keshkal 63.51%, Kanker 62%, Bastar 58%, Khairagarh 70.14%, while 71% voters exercised their franchise in Dongargarh and Dongargaon each.
At least four suspected Maoists were reportedly killed and two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel suffered bullet wounds when a gun battle broke out when the troopers were on patrolling duty on foot in a forested area near Bijapur’s Majiguda village. “Four-five Naxals are reported to be dead but their bodies could not be collected due to continuous exchange of fire,” special director general of police DM Awasthi said.
The CRPF personnel from the 204 Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) team – a specialised unit proficient in guerrilla tactics and jungle warfare – were attacked around 12.20 pm when they were on an “area domination” operation in a dense forest near Majiguda village.
Earlier, suspected Maoists triggered a blast through an improvised explosive device (IED) in Nayanar village when troops of the 195 Battalion were approaching a polling booth. No personnel was reported to have been injured.
Another IED device was detected and defused on the road leading to Dwarapara polling booth, under Bairamgarh police station in Bijapur.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his campaign rally in Bilaspur launched a scathing attack on Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi, saying the party’s “politics begins and ends with one family” and it was disconnected from the people.
Modi also made a strong pitch for development, saying the pace of development under the Congress regime in the state was “far slower” than the one under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government. Bilaspur goes to polls on November 20.
Voting in 10 constituencies across seven districts – including Maoist-affected Bastar region and Rajnandgaon district – began at 7 am and concluded at 4 pm.