Election campaigning for Bastar Lok Sabha ends

Campaigning for Bastar Lok Sabha elections came to an end at 5 pm on Wednesday. Under the first phase, polling will be held in Bastar Lok Sabha on April 19.

Both main political partiesthe BJP and the Congress are intensely campaigning to woo voters at the last moment. Deputy Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Chhattisgarh Vinay Agrawal interacting with media said that 56 polling parties (336 poll staff) have left by Indian Air Force (IAF) choppers for concerned polling stations in Bijapur, Sukma and Narayanpur districts. These polling parties have safely reached camps, he added.

100 polling parties (583 poll staff) were sent to polling stations in Bijapur, Sukma, Kondagaon, Dantewada and Narayanpur districts on Wednesday, said the Deputy CEO.

There are eight assembly constituencies- namely Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Bastar, Jagdalpur, Chitrakote, Dantewada, Bijapur and Konta in Bastar Lok Sabha and 1,961 polling stations. There are over 14,66,337 voters including over 6,98,197 male voters, over 7,68,088 female voters and 52 third gender voters in Bastar Lok Sabha constituency.

There will be 97 Sangwari polling centres, managed by female polling officials, in Bastar Lok Sabha. 8 Divyang polling centres and 31 Yuva polling centres have been set up. Eleven candidates are vying for the Bastar Lok Sabha seat.

The candidates contesting are Kawasi Lakhma from the Indian National Congress, Maheshram Kashyap from the BJP, Narendra Burka from the Hamar Raj Party, Kawalsingh Baghel from the Rashtriya Jansabha Party, Aayaturam Mandavi from the Bahujan Samaj Party, Phulsingh Kachlam from the CPI, Shivram Nag from the Sarv Aadi Dal, Sundar Baghel as an independent candidate, Teekam Nagvanshi from the Gondwana Gantantra Party, Jagdish Prasad Nag from the Azad Janata Party, and Prakash Kumar Gota from the Swatantra Dal.