Chhattisgarh gears up for first phase of polls, around 1L personnel deployed

Raipur: Around 1 lakh security personnel have been deployed in Chhattisgarh for smooth conduct of the first phase of polling on November 12, a senior police official said on Saturday.

The first phase of assembly polls will see voting in 18 seats spread over eight Maoist-affected districts in the state.

Security personnel, including central paramilitary force, have been deployed to ensure peaceful polling in the first phase, Chhattisgarh's Special Director General (Anti-Maoist Operations) DM Awasthi told news agency PTI.

In the last 10 days, over 300 IEDs were recovered from Bastar region and Rajnandgaon district by security forces, he said, adding that all necessary measures had been taken to thwart attempts by Maoists to disrupt the poll process.

A total of 650 companies, including those from paramilitary units like CRPF, BSF, ITBP and around 65,000 personnel from police forces of other states, have been sent by the Centre for the assembly polls, he said.

These units are apart from existing paramilitary personnel and 200 companies of state forces engaged in anti-Maoist operations in Chhattisgarh, the Special DG said.

He informed that around 650 polling booth parties were airlifted by helicopters Saturday to remote areas while other teams would be sent by road Sunday.

Indian Air Force and BSF choppers were pressed into service for the purpose, he said.

"As of now, the challenge is to escort all the polling parties safely to their destination in Naxal-affected areas and later it will be to conduct polls and bring back them safely," he said.