Voting concludes in Bastar, 56% turnout recorded

The first phase of polling for the Bastar Lok Sabha seat concluded today. Till 6 pm, voter turnout of 56 per cent was recorded in the Naxal-infested region of Chhattisgarh.

Bastar: The first phase of polling in Chhattisgarh's Bastar Parliamentary constituency concluded amid heavy security on Thursday, with a voter turnout of 56 per cent.

UPDATES:

• Voters of Jhiram village removed voting ink after casting their vote.
• One Naxal has been killed in an encounter with security forces in Orchha police station limits in Narayanpur
• BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi family members casts vote in Dantewada. Mandavi was killed in an IED blast in Chhattisgarh.
• 3:00 PM: Polling ends in the Maoist-affected four assembly constituencies of Bastar Lok sabha seat -- Dantewada, Bijapur, Narayanpur and Sukama.
• Surrendered Naxals in Chhattisgarh provided security to the Sukma polling booth.
• The queue of voters at a polling station in Injaram in Naxal affected Sukma district
• Polling in Bastar till 11 am is 21.5 per cent
• Villagers in Dantewada turnout in large numbers to cast their votes for Lok Sabha Elections 2019. On 9th April, BJP MLA Bheema Mandvi and four PSOs lost their lives in a Naxal attack in Dantewada.
• Specially-abled voters from Dantewada reached polling booth to cast their vote
• Election boycott posters by Naxalites outside the polling booth
• ITBP&CGP joint party came under a Naxal ambush when they were moving for a polling booth near Farasgaon, Narayanpur, in early morning hours today.
• ITBP jawans successfully broke the ambush and proceeded for polling booth where polling has begun. No casualties reported.
• Naxals triggered an IED blast on Thursday morning in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district in Bastar Lok Sabha constituency where voting is underway
• Polling in Bastar till 9 am is 10.02 per cent
• Minister Kawasi Lakhma cast his vote in Sukma
• Baidu Ram Kashyap reached polling booth to vote in Bastar
• Voting centre number 166 in Bijapur has not started yet due to a technical disturbance in the machine

The Election officer said that a total of 1878 polling booths have been set up in the Bastar parliamentary constituency out of which 741 are sensitive and highly sensitive polling booths.

Besides, 606 booths are Naxal-affected area and 227 are political sensitive polling stations. High alert security has been deployed here for security.

Worst Naxal affected areas:

Bijapur, Sukma, Dantewada and Narayanpur assembly are among the worst affected areas that fall under the eight assembly seats in Bastar.

Congress' Deepak Baij will be contesting against Baiduram Kashyap of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Voting to held from 7 am to 3 pm in:

• Bijapur
• Sukma
• Dantewada
• Narayanpur

Voting to be held from 7 am to 5 pm in:

• Kondagaon
• Jagdalpur
• Bastar
• Chitrakoot

The Election officer informed that 159 polling teams were taken safely through helicopters to the polling booths.