First phase of Chhattisgarh elections on Tuesday; more than 25,000 poll staffers, 60k security personnel in place
Assembly polls for 20 seats, several of them in Naxal-affected Bastar division, in Chhattisgarh will take place on Tuesday, with poll officials stating that 25,249 personnel have been deployed for the purpose. Voting will be held between 7am and 3pm in 10 seats, namely Mohla-Manpur, Antagarh, Bhanupratappur, Kanker, Keshkal, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur and Konta, they said.
Votes will be cast between 8am and 5pm in Khairagarh, Dongargarh, Rajnandgaon, Dongargaon, Khujji, Pandariya and Kawardha Bastar, Jagdalpur and Chitrakot, the officials added.
In the first phase, the fate of 223 candidates, including 25 women, will be decided by an estimated 40,78,681 voters, comprising 19,93,937 male, 20,84,675 female and 69 third-gender persons. As many as 5304 polling booths have been set up for the first phase.
A release issued from the office of the state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said 25,429 polling personnel have been deployed for the first phase of polls.
«A total of 156 poll parties have been sent to Sukma, Bijapur, Dantewada, Kanker and Narayanpur districts on board helicopters, while 5,148 polling teams have been sent to respective booths by buses. Of the 5,304 booths, web casting facility will be available in 2431,» the release said.
A senior police official said 60,000 security personnel, including 40,000 from Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), have been deployed for smooth conduct of polls in 12 constituencies of Naxal-hit Bastar division.
