Dhamtari: Naxalites on Thursday triggered two low-intensity IED blasts in Dhamtari in Chhattisgarh a day ahead of the second and final phase of Assembly polls in the state, police officials said. No one was hurt in the blasts that took place in the afternoon on Khallari-Gatapur road under Sihawa Assembly seat when security personnel were out on a de-mining exercise in view of polling on Friday, a senior police official said.
"The twin blasts took place far away from the patrolling team. No one was hurt in the blasts that were of low intensity. Later, security personnel recovered a 5-kilogram improvised explosive device from the area," he said. "The team for Khallari polling station had reached their destination much before the incident," he added.
Sihawa, located some 150 kilometres away from the capital Raipur, shares a border with Naxalite-affected Kanker, Kondagaon and Gariaband districts as well as with Odisha. Sihawa is among the 70 seats where polling will be held in the second phase, the official said, adding that 259 booths have been set up in the segment, including 127 in areas affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE).
Sufficient security arrangements have been made for the smooth conduct of voting, the official added. A poll official in Raipur said a total of 958 candidates, comprising 827 men, 130 women and one transgender person, are in the fray in 70 constituencies spread across the state's 22 districts.