RAIPUR: The first phase of elections for the 20 Assembly constituencies of Chhattisgarh witnessed moderate to heavy polling with over 72% voter turnout on Tuesday. The improved security situation and the addition of 126 new polling stations in the Maoist-affected Bastar division ensured free and peaceful polling but couldn’t surpass the 76.28% turnout witnessed during the first phase of the 2018 assembly polls.
Polling centres across the 20 constituencies witnessed long queues of voters since morning, defying the Maoist diktat on the poll boycott. Interestingly, the registered women voters (20,84,675) outnumbered men (19,93,937) in the 20 seats.
Voting was held from 7 am to 3 pm under heightened security arrangements in 10 Maoist-affected assembly segments while in the remaining 10 seats the voters exercised their franchise from 8 am to 5 pm.
“The figures are not final and might rise further as inputs from the remotely located polling stations are yet to come”, said an official in the chief electoral office of the EC. The polling percentage usually increases a little after the entire polling parties return and the figures from electronic voting machines are statistically calibrated, poll officials said.
The Election Commission said the new polling stations removed the hardships faced by voters who had to endure long treks to reach the booths covering dense forests, hills, and rivers and braving the threats of the Maoists to cast their votes.
Among the assembly seats recording a low turnout included Bijapur (41%), Konta/Sukma (50%) and Dantewada (63%). The constituencies of Kanker, Bahuprataput, Khairagarh, Dongargarh and Kondagaon recorded high voting figures of 76%. The fate of 223 candidates was sealed in the first phase of polling. There were over 40 lakh voters and 5,304 polling booths in the first phase.
The polling saw sporadic incidents of Maoist violence. There were reports of an exchange of fire between the security forces and the Maoists at Narayanpur, Tadmetla (Sukma), Banda (Sukma), Pakhanjur (Kanker). Rebels triggered an IED blast at Konta injuring a jawan. A civilian sustained a bullet injury in a crossfire at Pakhanjur where the forces recovered an AK-47 from the encounter site. The second phase of polling for the remaining 70 seats is due on November 17.