Raipur: Defying Maoist threats, Chhattisgarh voters notched up an impressive 70 per cent turnout in the first phase of Assembly polls in 18 constituencies on Monday, even though the day began with Naxal attacks to scare away voters. At least six Naxals were reportedly killed and five security personnel were injured in encounters in Bijapur and Sukma districts.
Chhattisgarh chief electoral officer (CEO) Subrat Sahu said barring stray incidents of Maoist violence, the first phase Assembly elections in the state was “by and large peaceful”.
The 18 constituencies where voting took place in the first phase are spread across eight Naxal-hit districts — Dantewada, Bijapur, Sukma, Bastar-Jagdal-pur, Rajnandgaon, Kan-ker, Kondagaon and Narayanpur. In 2013, the Congress had won 12 seats and the BJP had bagged six. A total of 31.80 lakh voters were eligible to vote for 190 candidates in the first phase of election.
Despite the boycott call given by Naxals, tribals thronged the polling booths in large numbers in their respective areas to cast vote. Deputy election commissioner Umesh Sinha said, “Since there were queues at the end of the scheduled voting time, the exact number of votes polled will be known later... It may match or surpass the 2013 figures."
