People ignore Naxals, 55% voting in phase I

NEW DELHI: Naxalites��� call for an election boycott in Chhattisgarh election seemed to have few takers with the first phase of voting, covering the Maoist-infested constituencies, recording an impressive 55% voter turnout. However, some violence by Left-wing extremists did mar polling, killing 1 CRPF radio operator and injuring 4 other security personnel and a civilian.

With the turnout arrived at by the EC at the end of poll only a provisional figure, the actual polling may be higher than almost 2-3% once the final reports come in from the field. According to the EC, some of the polling parties had not returned by the time the 55% polling estimate was released. The real picture on the turnout as well as incidents would be available only after these polling parties reported back to Nirvachan Sadan.

Until 6.30 pm, reports with EC spoke of 20 incidents of poll disturbances, including snatching of EVMs at 12 places, and Naxalite attacks, both on polling stations as well as on security personnel escorting polling parties through Maoist-infested interiors of south Chhattisgarh. The CRPF radio operator was killed in sniper fire from Naxalites as he escorted a polling team back from a polling station in Dantewada.

Two SPOs and a district police jawan were injured in the same district in a pressure bomb attack while accompanying the polling parties to the polling stations in the morning. In Bijapur, another Maoist-hit district, the extremists attacked a polling station midway through a poll, injuring one Central security personnel. A similar attack was mounted by Naxalites at a polling booth in Narayanpur, injuring a civilian bystander.

The violence, however, does not seem to have dampened enthusiasm of voters who defied the Naxalite threat to come out and vote in huge numbers. This phase polling will decide the fate of chief minister Raman Singh from Rajnandgaon seat, opposition leader and Congress candidate Mahendra Karma from Dantewada and assembly speaker Premprakash Pandey from Bhilai.

Constituencies of cabinet ministers Ajay Chandrakar from Kurud, and Hemchand Yadav from Durg city besides Congress leader Motilal Vora���s son Arun Vora from Durg city and senior Congress leader Arvind Netam���s daughter Priti Netam from Kanker seat also saw polling on Friday. State���s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party besides the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party have contested all the 39 seats in this phase.