The first phase of Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections for 39 seats in 10 districts that kick started the electoral process in six states – considered as the semi-finals before the Parliamentary elections – though marked poor turnout in some areas amid Maoists’ threat and violence, the final polling figure was recorded over 55 percent.
The polling for the 12 constituencies – Dantewada, Konta, Bijapur, Chitrakote, Narayanpur, Bhanupratappur, Antagarh, Keshkal, Kondagaon, Bastar, Jagdalpur and Kanker— in the worst Naxal-hit Bastar region started at 8 am and ended at 3 pm; while for the remaining 27 seats, it began an-hour earlier and came close to 5 pm.
In contrast to the Bastar district, elections were held comparatively smoothly in the constituencies outside the region. They also said that repolling could be ordered at the 17 booths in the Bastar region as it were hit by firing and EVMs were looted here.
However, officials claimed that many electors in the five districts of Bastar region defied the Maoists and used their franchise rights.
Voting in Konta and Dantewada was stalled for a while after some EVMs were looted. And soon after resuming of voting, gun battle erupted between policemen and Maoist guerrillas in about 15 places in Sukma, Kistaram, Konta, Bhairamgarh, Antagarh, Pakhanjoor, Bijarpur, Dantewada and Antagarh constituencies.
Four security personnel, including three policemen and a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) soldier were injured in two separate blasts that occurred in Maoist-infested Dantewada district. The policemen were injured in a landmine blast near Gorkha, as they were accompanying election officials to polling booths in Bhejji.
Most of the polling stations witnessed low turnout with people scared to come out and caste their vote following the last night murder of Trinath Thakur, the Dantewada block unit chief of the Congress.
The heavy deployment of 65,000 policemen, including paramilitary forces, even could not hinder the Maoist guerrillas at some places in their attempt to halt voting for a while, as they managed to block roads leading to polling booths in over 50 places. Consequently, election officials had to be reached through helicopter at polling booths in many areas.
With the end of first phase of voting fate of 379 candidates closed in the ballot boxes including Chief Minister Raman Singh, a total of 8,883 polling booths were created for polling.
About 6.4 million of the state’s 15.2 million voters were eligible to exercise their franchise in 8,883 polling booths Friday to decide the fortunes of 379 candidates, including 36 women.
The second phase of polling for the remaining 51 constituencies will be held on Nov 20.
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