Chhattisgarh: 35.47% turnout till 11 am in three seats in LS polls second phase

Raipur: More than 35 per cent of the electorate cast their votes in the first four hours of polling in three Lok Sabha constituencies, all having Naxalite presence, of Chhattisgarh in the second phase of general elections on Friday, an official said.

“Amid tight security, polling in Kanker, Rajnandgaon and Mahasamund Lok Sabha constituencies began at 7 am and is underway smoothly. Till 11 am, 35.47 per cent polling has been registered,” a poll official said.

Till 11 am, Kanker seat had recorded a 39.38 per cent turnout, Mahasamund 34.43 per cent and Rajnandgaon 32.99 per cent, he said.

Among the early voters, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma and former MP Abhishek Singh cast their votes in Kawardha town in Rajnandgaon seat, BJP candidate Santosh Pandey and his wife in Sahaspur-Lohara (Rajnandgaon), BJP nominee Rupkumari Chaudhary in Harratar village (Mahasamund), and BJP candidate Bhojraj Nag and his wife in Antagarh (Kanker).

The polling booth at Sivni village in Balod district (Kanker seat) was decorated like a wedding mandap. Rituals of traditional weddings have been portrayed in the booth.

As the wedding season is underway, many men and women, attired in wedding costumes, cast their votes in the three seats.

Of the eight assembly segments in Kanker Lok Sabha constituency, polling began in Antagarh, Bhanupratappur, Keshkal and Kanker assembly segments at 7 am and will end at 3 pm, he said.

In four other assembly segments, Sihawa, Sanjari-Balod, Daundilohara and Gunderdehi, the polling began at 7 am and will conclude at 6 pm.

In Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha constituency, except Manpur-Mohla assembly segment where polling is being held from 7 am to 3 pm, polling in all other seven assembly segments began at 7 am and will end at 6 pm.

The polling time in the Mahasamund constituency is 7 am to 6 pm, except in nine sensitive polling booths under the Bindranawagarh assembly segment, where it is being held from 7 am to 3 pm.

Altogether 41 candidates, including former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and former state home minister Tamradhwaj Sahu, are in the fray in a direct fight between the ruling BJP and opposition Congress.