Chhattisgarh: Maoist hit-Dantewada witnesses first peaceful bypoll, registers a record 54% voter turnout

RAIPUR: Braving the Maoist threat, an estimated 54.15% voters came out to exercise their franchise in the

Dantewada

assembly

bypoll

on Monday. Over 52% of the constituency’s 1.88 lakh voters are women, and it showed in the queues at polling booths.


The only two incidents were the discovery of an IED just 200m from a polling booth, and the death of a presiding officer due to heart attack.

A patrol party found the 5kg IED very close to Parcheli polling booth in Katekalyan. The area was cordoned off and a bomb disposal squad defused the IED. Less than 12km away, in the same Katekalyan region, a presiding officer died of a heart attack during polling at Chikpal.

Chandraprakash Thakur complained of uneasiness and chest pain soon after

voting

began. He was taken to hospital but died during treatment.

After polling was over, Chhattisgarh DGP D M Awasthi told reporters that it was the first time a bypoll went off peacefully and smoothly. He gave credit to CRPF, ITBP and DRG personnel, saying that they played a crucial role in maintaining law and order.

Dantewada is one of the worst Maoist-affected areas of the country, and the bypoll was necessitated by the assassination of BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi just ahead of parliamentary polls in April this year. Monday’s bypoll was one of the most heavily guarded elections, with 18,000 troops deployed across the region.

Polling was held from 7am to 3pm.

There were queues at polling stations even when voting was drawing to a close, so the final turnout may go up when the tally is compiled on Tuesday. Counting of votes is on September 27.