On the first voting day of the two-phased 2023 Chhattisgarh Assembly election on Tuesday (November 7), 71.93% of voters exercised their franchise and cast ballots.

This phase involved 20 constituencies and was conducted in separate time slots, amidst challenges posed by Naxalite violence and calls for boycott. Ten of these constituencies saw voting from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., while the redeployment of nearly 1 lakh security personnel was organised in the Naxalite-affected Bastar division.

"A 70.87% voter turnout was recorded till 5 pm in the first phase of the Chhattisgarh elections on Tuesday. However, this figure may go up as the final data from several booths was yet to be received," according to a poll official. The final figure was at 71.93%.

Of the 20 seats that went to polls, 12 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes. A total of 223 candidates, including 25 women, contested these elections, with 40,78,681 eligible voters in the first phase.

In the previous assembly elections, the Congress had secured victory in 17 out of the 20 seats that were part of this phase, while the BJP won two. During this election, the political destinies of key figures like former Chief Minister and BJP leader Raman Singh, Chhattisgarh Congress Chief and MP Deepak Baij, and at least three ministers in the Bhupesh Baghel cabinet were decided via EVMs.

While the polling process unfolded, incidents of violence were reported in districts such as Sukma, Narayanpur, Bijapur, and Kanker, with several security personnel sustaining injuries during encounters with Naxalites.

This election phase also marked an important moment for the residents of 126 villages in the Bastar division, as they experienced polling stations in their villages for the first time since India's Independence. Even former Naxalite Sumitra Sahu, who transitioned to the police force in 2018, exercised her right to vote for the first time in the Narayanpur constituency.

The total number of voters in the 20 constituencies is 40,78,681, comprising 19,93,937 men, 20,84,675 women and 69 third-gender persons, officials said.

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Out of the 5,304 polling booths set up for the first phase elections, 200 are 'sangwari' polling stations managed by women staffers, while 20 each are managed by 'divyanjan' (persons with disabilities) and youth, the official said.

In Sukma district, voting was held in naxal-affected Karigundam area after 23 years. The polling process was held under the security cover by CRPF 150 Battalion and District Force.

Voting in the remaining 70 seats in Chhattisgarh will be held on November 17 in the second and last phase of polling for the 90-member state assembly.

With inputs from PTI

First Published:Nov 7, 2023 9:54 AM IST