BASTAR VOTES WITH VENGEANCE

Defying the diktats issued by Maoists, tribal populace from Bastar came out in large numbers to celebrate the festival of democracy and exercised their franchise aggressively during the first phase of polling under Lok Sabha on Thursday in Chhattisgarh, held today. Barring an IED blast, which was triggered by Maoists in Narayanpur, the polling was by and large peaceful under tight security cover thrown across in the backdrop of recent Maoist attack in Dantewada which killed MLA Bhima Mandavi and four security personnel. Police sources informed that early in the morning, Maoists detonated an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) in Narayanpur district, which comes under Bastar constituency however no casualty was reported. Sources informed that whenever such important occasion as that of elections occur the Maoist try to create disturbance out of frustration, and this was one such incident. Approximately 57 per cent voters exercised their franchise in the LWE infested Bastar Lok Sabha constituency of Chhattisgarh on Thursday, till the reports last came in.

Since morning, long queues of voters were seen at several polling booths, including in Shyamgiri village panchayat (Booth no 220) in Dantewada district, where Dantewada MLA Bhima Mandavi and four security personnel were brutally killed in the Naxal attack on Tuesday. Polling commenced in Bastar Lok Sabha constituency at 7 am amid tight security and concluded smoothly without any considerable law and order problem. Till 11 am, around 23 per cent polling was recorded. Polling was held from 7am to 3pm in four Assembly segments including Dantewada, Bijapur, Narayanpur and Konta and from 7am till 5 pm in the remaining four Assembly segments including Kondagaon, Bastar, Jagdalpur and Chitrakot.

Although seven candidates are in fray from Bastar Lok Sabha constituency for Lok Sabha Elections – 2019, the main contest is between Baiduram Kashyap from Bharatiya Janata Party and Deepak Baij from Indian National Congress. It may be noted here that the Bharatiya Janata Party has been winning from Bastar Lok Sabha constituency since 1998. Others who are looking for share in the ‘poll pie’ are Aayatu Ram Mandavi from Bahujan Samaj Party; Ramu Ram Maurya from Communist Party of India; Panish Prasad Nag from Ambedkarite Party of India; Manglaram Karma from Akhil Bharatiya Samagra Kranti Party; and Suresh alias Sargim Kawasi from Shiv Sena. Nearly 80,000 state and paramilitary personnel have been deployed across Bastar constituency to ensure smooth and peaceful polling. Under the first phase, Altogether 13,61,146 voters including 7,12,259 female, 6,59,824 male and 49 Third Gender voters from eight Assembly segments in five districts are qualified voters from Bastar Lok Sabha constituency.

Of the 1,879 polling booths in the constituency, 741 have been marked as hyper-sensitive and 606 as sensitive due to Maoist threat. Meanwhile, police sources informed that four Maoists were arrested and three firearms were seized from them in Bijapur district on Thursday as the polling was underway. The Maoists apprehended belonged to Maad division of Maoists and they were arrested from Bedre area, by a joint team of Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) and District Force, which was out on an area domination exercise during the wee hours.