Moderate polling in Maha, Haryana, Arunachal elections

MUMBAI/CHANDIGARH/ITANAGAR: Moderate polling was on Tuesday recorded in the Assembly elections in Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh amidst stray incidents of violence in which a polling agent was killed.

While over 20 per cent of the voters exercised their franchise in Maharashtra and Haryana till noon, the turnout in Arunachal Pradesh was over 25 per cent, poll officials said.

The polling agent was killed in a clash between supporters of Congress nominee Dillu Ram and Independent candidate Kulwant Bazigar in Gulha assembly constituency in Haryana's Kaithal district, a police official said. The 48-year-old deceased, Jyoti Ram, was Bazigar's polling agent.

In Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district where 17 policemen were shot dead by the Maoists on October 8, naxalites opened fire at a patrol party near Kasansur in Aheri block shortly before polling commenced. No one was injured, police said, adding security forces did not retaliate.

In another incident, naxals opened fire at a polling station at Bonde in Korchi taluka of the district. While no one was hurt, additional forces were despatched by an airforce chopper to Bonde, Manoj Sharma, ASP, Gadchiroli, said.

Over 1.29 lakh state police and central forces have been deployed across the state where voting is being held for 288 Assembly seats, DGP (Elections) A N Roy said.

Meanwhile, an FIR was registered against three-time Congress MLA Janardhan Chandurkar for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct by trying to influence voters by distributing money in suburban Bandra in Mumbai, police said.

Among the early voters in Maharashtra were Union Ministers Sharad Pawar and Vilasrao Deshmukh, industrialist Anil Ambani, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.