Chhattisgarh polls LIVE: Voting ends; Naxals fail as state sees 70% turnout

Pundits are referring to today's election as Round-1 of the 'semi-final' to the general elections next year. Track full coverage of Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections 2018 here

Chhattisgarh Assembly Election 2018: Voting in the first phase of Chhattisgarh Assembly polls for 18 constituencies spread across eight Maoist-affected districts ended on Monday, with nearly 70 per cent of the electorate exercising their franchise. 

Polling in 10 constituencies -- Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur, Konta, Mohla-Manpur, Antagarh, Bhanupratappur, Kanker, Keshkal and Kondagaon -- started at 7 a.m. and ended at 3 p.m.

Voting at Khairagarh, Dongargarh, Rajnandgaon, Dongargaon, Khujji, Bastar, Jagdalpur and Chitrakot, where polling started an hour later, ended at 5 p.m. 

The poll panel said the turnout stood at nearly 70 per cent.     

An improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated early morning in Dantewada district by Naxals, who had called for a boycott of the polls, police said. The Maoists have triggered several attacks in the past few days, killing several people, including a BSF trooper on Sunday. 

Pundits are referring to today's election as Round-1 of the 'semi-final' to the general elections next year.   

In the first phase of the polls, 190 candidates were in the fray and as per electoral rolls, there were 3,180,014 voters.

Prominent faces

Among the prominent candidates in the first phase were Chief Minister Raman Singh, ministers Kedar Kashyap (Narayanpur) and Mahesh Gagda (Bijpaur) and Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Kanker Lok Sabha seat MP Vikram Usendi (Antagarh).

Nine sitting Congress MLAs -- Manoj Singh Mandavi (Bhanupratappur), Mohan Lal Markam (Kondagaon), Lakheshwar Baghel (Bastar), Deepak Kumar Baij (Chitrakot), Devati Karma (Dantewada), Kawasi Lakhma (Konta), Girwar Janghel (Khairagarh), Santram Netam (Keshkal) and Daleshwar Sahu (Dongargaon) -- were also in the fray. Of the 18 seats going to polling in the first phase, 12 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs) while one is for Scheduled Caste (SC) category.

The second phase of polling in 72 seats, out of the 90-member Assembly, would be held on November 20 and counting of votes would take place on December 11.  

6:53 PM

6:24 PM

6:02 PM

6:02 PM

The voter turnout in 18 Assembly constituencies in the first phase of Chhattisgarh elections Monday was 65 per cent till 3 pm, a poll official said.

Polling began on a slow note in many constituencies, but gradually picked up momentum, he said. 

6:01 PM

Voting in the first phase of Chhattisgarh Assembly polls for 18 constituencies spread across eight Maoist-affected districts ended on Monday, with nearly 65 per cent of the electorate exercising their franchise. 

5:04 PM

4:58 PM

4:06 PM

4:00 PM

3:58 PM

The poll panel rejected the charges saying "certain sources were spreading rumours of EVM malfunctioning and rigging".

3:58 PM

The Congress alleged "rampant" EVM rigging in Bastar area but the poll panel rejected the charges.

 

"The BJP has completely lost the plot in Chhattisgarh and its desperation and desolation is more than evident with reports of rigging of EVMs pouring in from Bastar," Congress Legislative Party leader T.S. Singh Deo said, asking the Election Commission to intervene. 

3:55 PM

A poll official said polling was being held after 15 years in Sukma district's Palam Adgu village where 44 voters exercised their franchise so far. 

3:29 PM

47.18% voter turnout recorded till 3 pm in the first phase.

2:58 PM

People in Dantewada's Madenda village cast their votes even after threat from the Naxals to cut their fingers if the ink mark is seen on their fingers. Local says, "there are 263 registered voters in the village and many are voting even after the threat."

2:58 PM

After the Nilwaya naxal attack, the challenges have gone up. Naxals had threatened villagers against voting. We assured the villagers of a secure environment, put in place a three level security so that people can vote without fear: CRPF