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60% turnout in violence hit 1st phase of poll
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Zeenews Bureau
Ranchi/ Raipur/ Hyderabad/ Bhubaneshwar, April 17: At least 17 people were killed in Maoist violence as polling ended in Naxal-affected areas of
Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Orissa. The world`s largest democratic exercise began in India on Thursday morning with voters queuing up in 17 states and Union Territories for the first phase of elections.
About 143 million of India`s 714 million voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the first of five rounds in 185,552 polling centres. A total of 1,715 candidates are in the fray, and over 300,000 electronic voting machines are being used.
Tens of thousands of election staff and security personnel kept vigil to ensure a smooth poll in Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Chhattisgarh, Andaman and Nicobar Island and Lakshwadeep that saw voting in all constituencies. Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Manipur, Orissa and Jharkhand saw partial voting.
But it was a bloody start to the ambitious exercise with Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Jharkhand and Maharashtra seeing violence and intimidation as Maoist guerrillas tried to implement their election boycott in a hail of bullets and bomb blasts.
The Election Commission hailed the efforts of state and Central police forces in ensuring an `lmost peaceful` polls.
Chhattisgarh
The state recorded 51% voter turnout.
Five poll officials and two CRPF
personnel were killed as Maoists, who had called for election
boycott, triggered nearly a dozen blasts and snatched nine
EVMs in Bastar area and Rajnandganv district during voting
today for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls.
Maoists blew up a van ferrying poll officials by
triggering a mine blast in Rajnandanv district, 75 km from
here, Additional Director General Police Girdhari Nayak said.
Zonal officer A K Acharya was among five poll
officials killed and two others were injured in the explosion
at Phulwera village, he said.
Maoists attacked several polling stations in the worst
affected Bastar region, including Marocci where two CRPF jawan
were killed and five others injured. Choppers were pressed
into service to evacuate the injured, police said.
The extremists also attacked polling stations in
Nernar, Sonapal amd Karmari areas of Narainpur district, 300
km from here and Karmari in Dantewada district. However, no casualities were reported.
In Dantewada, the naxals snatched nine electronic
voting machines (EVMs) in Handawara, Bhatpal, Nirvaya,
Kanepal, Yurgum, Jangapal and Kokanar.
Naik said the Maoists carried out blasts at nearly a
dozen places while 12 landmines were recovered by security
forces.
Maoists had announced a boycott of elections. Voting
was held today in all 11 seats in Chhattisgarh.
Jharkhand
50 per
cent votes were cast in six Lok Sabha constituencies in the
first phase of polls which ended at 3 pm,
Election Commission sources said.
The six constituencies which went to polls today are
Naxal-affected Palamau, Chatra, Hazaribagh, Koderma, Lohardaga
and Khunti seats.
Total 85 candidates were in the fray. Notable among them
were Union Minister Rameshwar Oraon (Lohardaga) former Union
Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha (Hazaribag), former Chief
Minister Babulal Marandi (Koderma), former Assembly Speaker
Inder Singh Namdhari and former minister Nagmani (both
Chatra).
A day back after attacking CRPF, the Maoists targeted a bus carrying BSF personnel in Jharkhand`s Latehar area by triggering a landmine blast at around 7.30 am leading to the death of seven personnel from the border force besides the civilian driver and helper, and injuries to several others.
Deputy Commissioner Sarvendu Tathagat in Latehar, about 125 kms from Ranchi, said the BSF personnel were returning from Ladhup to Arah after having carried of patrolling duty in naxal strongholds. A helicopter has flown to the spot for rescue operations, he said.
Bihar
46% polling was recorded in this state.
A homeguard and a police personnel on poll duty were shot dead and another injured by Naxals in Singhpur village under Bankebazaar police station in Bihar`s Gaya district, police said. Two other police personnel were missing.
Shambhu Singh, Jamui district JD(U) chief, his associate
and district 20-point programme committee member Subodh Kesri,
escaped unhurt when the Maoists, who have called for a boycott
of the elections, detonated two landmines near Narganjo
village this afternoon.
The driver of their vehicle Pradyumna Kumar suffered
minor chest injuries. The vehicle was damaged in the explosion.
The JD(U) leader, who was going to Simultalla on
getting reports of disturbance at a polling station, later
boarded a train at Ghorparan station for Jhajha, where his
statement was being recorded, sources said.
Meanwhile, an estimated 30 to 32 per cent voters
cast their ballot till afternoon in 13 of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in
Bihar in a violence-marred first phase of poll,
Chief Electoral Officer Sudhir Rakesh informed.
Orissa
Around 52 per cent voting was
recorded till 1330 hrs in 10 Lok Sabha and 70 assembly
constituencies, which witnessed sporadic incidents
of firing and arson by Naxals in Malkangiri and Sundargarh
districts.
Despite the Maoists` call for poll boycott, voters`
turn-out was encouraging in Naxal-infested districts like
Malkangiri, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput, Sundargarh and parts
of Ganjam where over 30 per cent polling was recorded.
In riot-ravaged Kandhamal, where both Naxal and communal
threat loomed large, voters` turn-out was around 40 per cent
till 1300hrs with a large number of riot-affected, including
those lodged in relief camps, heading to booths.
Heavy exchange of fire took place between the CRPF and
Maoists early in the morning at Mahupada, about 40 km from
Rourkela in Sundargarh district but there was no report of
injury to anybody, police said.
Superintendent of Police, Rourkela, Santosh Bala said the
situation is under control and polling is being held
peacefully.
A micro-observer, Jagdish Prasad Nayak, who was on poll
duty at a booth at Tamda in Bonai area of Sundargarh, died
this morning after suddenly falling ill, Sub-Collector S C
Mishra said.
Nayak was an assistant manager of the State Bank of India
branch at Rajgangpur.
Over 24 booths in Rayagada, Deogarh, Sambalpur, Ganjam,
Nuapada and Sundargarh districts witnessed boycott of polls by
voters over local issues while polling was delayed in over 20
booths due to defective EVMs, election office sources said.
Not a single voter has turned up at a booth at remote
Jhirpani in Sundargarh district so far due to Maoist threat
and efforts are being made to persuade the electorate to
exercise their franchise under security cover.
Polling, which remained subdued in early hours gradually
picked up both in rural and urban areas with long queues seen
at booths under overcast sky in many parts due to formation of
a cyclonic storm over Bay of Bengal.
Uttar Pradesh
An estimated 48% of
polling was recorded in 16 parliamentary constituencies, which
included naxal-affected area in Uttar Pradesh.
Interestingly, as compared to last election there was a
considerable rise in poll percentage in Naxal-affected areas
of the state.
"Approximately 48% votes were polled in the first
phase of the elections. As compared to 47% polling in
2004, the poll percentage has gone up roughly by one per
cent," Chief Electoral Officer Anuj Kumar Bishoi told
reporters here.
Barring minor complaints, polling was by and large
peaceful and no untoward incident was reported from any of
the 13 districts.
Polling break-up in percentage:- 49 in Maharajganj,
Ghazipur, Robertsganj and Gorakhpur, 46 in Kushi Nagar, 47 in
Deoria, 44 in Lalganj and Varanasi, 43 in Azamgarh, 45 in
Ghosi, 41 in Salempur, 42 in Ballia, Bansgaon and
Machlishahar, 50 in Chandauli and 50 in Mirzapur.
Andamans & Nicobar
The lone Lok Sabha seat in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands recorded a voter turnout of 49.4% amidst heavy rains today.
Braving rains since the morning there was good turnout in
the Andamans and Nancowrie Islands, election office sources
said.
Today`s election sealed the fate of 11 candidates in
EVMS.
Polling was sparse in the Tsunami-affected area of South
Andaman, like Sippighat, Chouldari, Manpur, Farrergunj, where
roughly a thousand tsunami-affected people are lodged.
In stark contrast large queues were seen outside booths
in Port Blair city of the Nicobar Islands.
Mizoram
Mizoram recorded a low voter
turnout of 47% today for the lone Lok Sabha seat in
the state, which will decide the fate of four candidates.
"The 47% polling figure is provisional as some
polling stations in the remote areas remained incommunicado
and the final poll percentage might touch 50," state Joint
Chief Electoral Officer Lalhmingthanga said.
The fate of C L Ruala of the Congress, H Lallungmuana, an
independent candidate sponsored by the opposition Mizo
National Front (MNF) and the Mizoram People`s Conference (MPC)
combine, Rualpawla an independent and Lalawmpuia Chhangte of
the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) were sealed in EVMs.
The main contest was between Ruala and Lallungmuana.
Arunachal Pradesh
Over 61 per cent polling was
recorded in the two parliamentary constituencies in Arunachal
Pradesh today.
Repolling has been ordered in at least 12 polling
stations following booth-capturing and damaging of EVMs.
Meghalaya
An estimated 68 per cent
voters` turnout was registered for the Shillong and Tura Lok
Sabha seats in Meghalaya today.
Shillong recorded around 70 per cent polling while the
turnout in Tura was around 64 per cent, officials said,
adding the voting was higher in urban areas.
The fate of 11 candidates, including Agatha Sangma,
the daughter of senior NCP leader P A Sanga was sealed in
EVMs.
Assam
Amid militant attack at a polling
station, an estimated 65 per cent voters cast ballots in
Assam`s three Lok Sabha constituencies of Karimganj, Silchar
and Autonomous District(ST) in the first phase of polling
today.
The voter turnout in Silchar constituency was 64 per
cent, 66 per cent in Karimganj and 65 per cent in Autonomous
District (ST) constituency, where ultras were targetting
railway property and security personnel for the past one week,
election office sources said here.
The turnout figure is, however, expected to rise with
reports from interior areas yet to be received at the election
office here.
Manipur
An estimated 55 to 60 per cent
voters today exercised their franchise in the first phase of
parliamentary elections in the Outer Manipur parliamentary
constituency till noon, official sources said.
Ukhrul district recorded a highest turnout of 60 per cent
followed by 55 per cent in Senapati district, 50 per cent in
Tamenglong district and 40 per cent in Chandel district.
Andhra Pradesh
Barring destruction of EVMs by
angry residents of a village protesting against delimitation
of constituencies, the first phase of polling in Andhra
Pradesh went off peaceful today with over 65 per cent polling
being reported.
The polling percentage was likely to go up to 68 per cent
as voters were waiting in queues in about 300 to 400 polling
stations even at 4 pm when balloting was scheduled to end,
state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) I V Subba Rao told
reporters.
The maximum of 75 and minimum of 54 polling percentages
were reported in Medak and Hyderabad Parliamentary
constituencies respectively.
Polling was held for 22 Lok Sabha and 154 Assembly seats
from 7 am to 4 pm today and the second phase of polling for 20
Parliamentary and 140 Assembly seats will be held on April 23.
Kerala
An estimated 68.47 per
cent of the 2.18 crore voters in Kerala today exercised their
franchise in the general elections for 20 Lok Sabha
constituencies in the state, official sources said.
According to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer
here tonight, the voting percentage stood around 68.47, which
could vary marginally either way in the final reckoning after
compiling all the details by early tomorrow.
Jammu
Moderate polling was reported from
the Jammu Lok Sabha constituency in Jammu and Kashmir that
went to polls today in the first phase.
Large number of voters were seen waiting outside the
polling stations in all the 20 Assembly constituencies spread
across four districts to exercise their franchise.
Of the total six seats in the state, only Jammu
segment is going to polls today.
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