THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, Nov 7: Chhattisgarh and Mizoram went to the polls on Tuesday, November 7, to begin the month-long assembly elections. While there were sporadic instances of violence in the Naxal-affected region of Chhattisgarh, the voting process proceeded peacefully in Mizoram.
In the Bastar division of Chhattisgarh, an IED blast by Naxalites in a forested area of Sukma district resulted in injuries to a commando of the elite CoBRA unit of the CRPF. While polling was underway, Naxal insurgents opened fire on DRG personnel positioned near the Banda polling station. Sukma Police reported that security forces responded, leading to a ten-minute exchange of gunfire before the Naxals discontinued their assault. The personnel were stationed about 2 kilometres from the Banda polling station.
Meanwhile, in Kanker, a clash transpired between Maoist insurgents and security personnel conducting a patrol. During the state’s voting process, the Border Security Force (BSF), District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Naxals got into a confrontation in the vicinity of the Bande police station. Authorities stated that an AK47 was found at the location, and a search operation was conducted.
Furthermore, on the same day, another confrontation between DRG and Naxal rebels occurred near Panawar at approximately 1 pm.
In Mizoram, H Lianzela, the Additional Chief Electoral Officer, has confirmed that there have been no reports of law and order problems so far.
At 5 pm, figures from the Election Commission showed that 70.87% of voters in Chhattisgarh’s 20 assembly seats had used their right to vote during the first round of voting. December 3 is when the votes will be counted.
In Mizoram, 77.04% voter turnout was recorded till 5 pm.
In the first round of voting in Chhattisgarh, 223 candidates, including 25 women, will be chosen for 20 seats. In contrast, Mizoram is holding a single-phase election for its 40-member assembly.
Chhattisgarh will witness the second phase of polling on November 17, followed by single-phase voting in Rajasthan and Telangana on November 25 and 30, respectively. The vote count for all states is scheduled for December 3.
