Chattisgarh: Electioneering Marred by Killing of 2 BJP Leaders by Maoists

Raipur: Campaigning for the first phase of assembly polls in Chhattisgarh, in which 20 seats in Maoist-infested regions in the state are going to election on November seven, ended on Sunday evening.

The campaigning was marred by the killing of two BJP leaders by Maoists.

While local BJP leader Birju Taram was shot dead by Maoists in Manpur under Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district on October 20, another party leader Ratik Dubey was hacked to death by the Naxals in a village in Narayanpur district on Saturday.

The Leftwing extremism- hit 12 assembly constituencies in Bastar are among the 20 seats that are going to polls in the first phase polling in the state.

Around 60,000 security personnel, 40,000 of them belonging to the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and 20,000 from the state police, have been deployed for the smooth conduct of polls in Bastar division, a senior police officer posted in Bastar said.

“Of around 2,600 polling booths in Bastar division, 600 have been identified as sensitive. They will be under three-layer security cover”, Bastar range inspector general of police P Sunderraj said on Sunday.

Drones and choppers would be deployed to monitor Maoist movements during the polling in Bastar, he said.

Besides, bomb disposal squads and sniffer dogs have been deployed in sensitive areas.

The 12 assembly constituencies in Bastar are going to assembly polls amid election boycott calls given by Maoists.

“The candidates in the fray in the 12 assembly constituencies in Bastar have never dared to cover the entire constituencies during electioneering due to the Maoist threats. In south Bastar districts of Bijapur and Sukma, candidates could hardly cover 40 percent areas of their constituencies during electioneering”, the local Congress as well as BJP leaders said.

Fates of prominent leaders like Dr Raman Singh and state Congress president Deepak Baij, who is also an MP, would be decided in the first phase polling in the state.

The remaining 70 assembly constituencies in Chhattisgarh are scheduled to go to polls on November 17.