Chhattisgarh polls: 28% polling so far, explosives found

RAIPUR: Twenty-eight per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise till 11 AM during the first phase of Chhattisgarh Assembly polls in 18 constituencies of Naxal-hit Bastar region and Rajnandgaon district today.

Voting failed to kick start in two hyper sensitive polling booths - Durgapur and Sitaram - of Kanker. While no voting could take place in Durgapur as Naxals looted EVM machines from polling parties, parties failed to reach the venue owing to Naxal resistance in Sitaram.

No fresh violence has been reported so far in the region except a policeman sustaining injuries in morning during a pressure bomb blast in Kanker district.

"Polling in 12 constituencies of Bastar and one in Rajnandgaon district began from 7 AM while in the rest of the seats in Rajnandgaon, it started at 8 AM. So far, around 28 per cent polling has been registered," Joint Electoral Officer DD Singh told PTI.

Meanwhile, a presiding officer - Rajendra Mahapatra - at Balinga polling booth of Kondagaon district died of heart stroke this morning, an official here said.

However, an official has been deputed there, he added. Encounters between security forces and Maoists were also reported near few polling booths in Naxal-hit Dantewada district and Bijapur of southern Chhattisgarh.

But polling is so far going on smoothly in that region, he added.