Raipur: Amid tight security arrangements, Naxal-hit Bastar Lok Sabha constituency in Chhattisgarh will vote in the first phase of general elections on Friday, where 11 candidates are in the fray.
The Maoists' call for election boycott is a challenge for the security forces but their morale seems high after a major anti-militancy operation in Kanker district on April 16 in which 29 Naxalites, including senior cadres, were killed. Kanker is part of Bastar region.
Congress's firebrand leader Kawasi Lakhma will take on BJP's new face Mahesh Kashyap in Bastar, which the saffron party lost in 2019. State Chief Electoral Officer Reena Babasaheb Kangale told reporters on Thursday, "In the first phase in the state on April 19, All preparations have been made to conduct free and fair elections in Bastar, the only Lok Sabha constituency.,
Voting will be held from morning to 3 pm at the booths of Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Chitrakote, Dantewada, Bijapur and Konta assembly constituencies of Bastar Lok Sabha seat. Apart from this, voting will be held in Bastar assembly constituency from 7 am to 5 pm. He said that in Jagdalpur assembly constituency, voting will be held at 175 booths from 7 am to 3 pm and at 72 booths from 7 am to 3 pm.
The official said a total of 11 candidates are in the fray in Bastar, where 14,72,207 voters - 7,71,679 women, 7,00,476 men and 52 members of the third gender - are eligible to exercise their franchise. He said 1,603 service voters There are 12,703 disabled voters, 47,010 voters aged 18 to 19 years, 3,487 voters aged above 85 years and 119 voters aged above 100 years.
1,961 polling stations have been set up in the constituency.Of them, 191 will be 'Sangwari' booths (managed by women personnel), 42 will be 'Adarsh' polling booths, while 8 others will be managed by 'Divyangjan' and 36 by youth.
A total of 9,864 polling personnel have been deployed for the first phase, Kangal said. Adequate security arrangements have been made in all the eight assembly constituencies of this Lok Sabha seat to ensure peaceful and fair elections, he said. 61 polling personnel have been deployed in the first phase. "Polling stations have been classified as 'unsafe' and 19 as 'critical'."
He said that out of total 1,961 booths, webcasting would be done at 811.Seven helicopters, including three from the Indian Air Force (IAF) and several others from the Border Security Force (BSF), were used to transport 919 polling personnel to 15 polling stations in remote and sensitive areas in the last two days. He said that of these 15 polling stations, 76 are located in Bijapur district, 42 in Sukma, 33 in Narayanpur, 3 in Dantewada and 2 in Kondagaon. He said that the remaining 1,805 polling parties will be sent to their destinations through buses on Thursday. Was dispatched.
According to officials, around 300 companies of various units of the state police and 350 companies of CAPFs (over 60,000 personnel), including the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Border Security Force (BSF), have been deployed to protect the constituency. . polling day.A police officer said that along with ground patrolling, aerial patrolling by drones is also being done to keep an eye on the activities of Naxalites, especially in areas close to polling stations and security forces camps. As in years past, calls for an election boycott have been made through posters and pamphlets found in some areas of the constituency over the past month.
Congress leader Lakhma is contesting against BJP's Kashyap from Bastar Lok Sabha seat.
Congress did not give ticket to its sitting MP Deepak Baij and fielded sitting MLA Lakhma. Lakhma, a six-time MLA, had served as a minister in the previous Congress government in the state. The ruling BJP is pinning its hopes on Kashyap, who has been an active member of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in the past.A heated argument between main rivals BJP and Congress over issues like corruption, poverty and pre-poll promises made by them dominated the campaigning for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in the state.
The saffron party's campaign was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai, who each addressed a rally in their constituency. In his rallies, the BJP leader targeted the Congress, especially its previous government in the state headed by Bhupesh Baghel, over corruption and highlighted the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who addressed a rally addressed, led the campaign for the opposition party along with his colleague Sachin Pilot and state party chief Deepak Baij, and hit back by claiming that his party thinks about the poor, while the BJP-led party thinks about the central government. Works only for the rich.
The Congress based its campaign on its election promises, including the Mahalakshma Yojana, caste census, recruitment for youth against 30 lakh vacant government posts and ending contractual practice in government companies and farm loan waiver.
There are a total of 11 Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh and the elections will be held in three phases.After voting on Bastar seat on Friday, in the second phase, voting will be held on three seats Rajnandgaon Kanker (ST) and Mahasamund on April 26.
The remaining seven seats – Raipur, Durg, Bilaspur, Janjgir-Champa (SC), Korba Surguja (ST) and Raigarh (ST) – will go to polls in the third phase on May 7.
The Maoists' call for election boycott is a challenge for the security forces but their morale seems high after a major anti-militancy operation in Kanker district on April 16 in which 29 Naxalites, including senior cadres, were killed. Kanker is part of Bastar region.
Congress's firebrand leader Kawasi Lakhma will take on BJP's new face Mahesh Kashyap in Bastar, which the saffron party lost in 2019. State Chief Electoral Officer Reena Babasaheb Kangale told reporters on Thursday, "In the first phase in the state on April 19, All preparations have been made to conduct free and fair elections in Bastar, the only Lok Sabha constituency.,
Voting will be held from morning to 3 pm at the booths of Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Chitrakote, Dantewada, Bijapur and Konta assembly constituencies of Bastar Lok Sabha seat. Apart from this, voting will be held in Bastar assembly constituency from 7 am to 5 pm. He said that in Jagdalpur assembly constituency, voting will be held at 175 booths from 7 am to 3 pm and at 72 booths from 7 am to 3 pm.
The official said a total of 11 candidates are in the fray in Bastar, where 14,72,207 voters - 7,71,679 women, 7,00,476 men and 52 members of the third gender - are eligible to exercise their franchise. He said 1,603 service voters There are 12,703 disabled voters, 47,010 voters aged 18 to 19 years, 3,487 voters aged above 85 years and 119 voters aged above 100 years.
1,961 polling stations have been set up in the constituency.Of them, 191 will be 'Sangwari' booths (managed by women personnel), 42 will be 'Adarsh' polling booths, while 8 others will be managed by 'Divyangjan' and 36 by youth.
A total of 9,864 polling personnel have been deployed for the first phase, Kangal said. Adequate security arrangements have been made in all the eight assembly constituencies of this Lok Sabha seat to ensure peaceful and fair elections, he said. 61 polling personnel have been deployed in the first phase. "Polling stations have been classified as 'unsafe' and 19 as 'critical'."
He said that out of total 1,961 booths, webcasting would be done at 811.Seven helicopters, including three from the Indian Air Force (IAF) and several others from the Border Security Force (BSF), were used to transport 919 polling personnel to 15 polling stations in remote and sensitive areas in the last two days. He said that of these 15 polling stations, 76 are located in Bijapur district, 42 in Sukma, 33 in Narayanpur, 3 in Dantewada and 2 in Kondagaon. He said that the remaining 1,805 polling parties will be sent to their destinations through buses on Thursday. Was dispatched.
According to officials, around 300 companies of various units of the state police and 350 companies of CAPFs (over 60,000 personnel), including the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Border Security Force (BSF), have been deployed to protect the constituency. . polling day.A police officer said that along with ground patrolling, aerial patrolling by drones is also being done to keep an eye on the activities of Naxalites, especially in areas close to polling stations and security forces camps. As in years past, calls for an election boycott have been made through posters and pamphlets found in some areas of the constituency over the past month.
Congress leader Lakhma is contesting against BJP's Kashyap from Bastar Lok Sabha seat.
Congress did not give ticket to its sitting MP Deepak Baij and fielded sitting MLA Lakhma. Lakhma, a six-time MLA, had served as a minister in the previous Congress government in the state. The ruling BJP is pinning its hopes on Kashyap, who has been an active member of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in the past.A heated argument between main rivals BJP and Congress over issues like corruption, poverty and pre-poll promises made by them dominated the campaigning for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in the state.
The saffron party's campaign was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai, who each addressed a rally in their constituency. In his rallies, the BJP leader targeted the Congress, especially its previous government in the state headed by Bhupesh Baghel, over corruption and highlighted the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who addressed a rally addressed, led the campaign for the opposition party along with his colleague Sachin Pilot and state party chief Deepak Baij, and hit back by claiming that his party thinks about the poor, while the BJP-led party thinks about the central government. Works only for the rich.
The Congress based its campaign on its election promises, including the Mahalakshma Yojana, caste census, recruitment for youth against 30 lakh vacant government posts and ending contractual practice in government companies and farm loan waiver.
There are a total of 11 Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh and the elections will be held in three phases.After voting on Bastar seat on Friday, in the second phase, voting will be held on three seats Rajnandgaon Kanker (ST) and Mahasamund on April 26.
The remaining seven seats – Raipur, Durg, Bilaspur, Janjgir-Champa (SC), Korba Surguja (ST) and Raigarh (ST) – will go to polls in the third phase on May 7.
