About 68 per cent of the total 5,55,3149 voters exercised their right to franchise in the first phase of Panchayat polls which concluded peacefully except stray incidents of loot of ballot boxes and rampage by insurgents in Bastar division on Wednesday. The first phase of the four-phased Panchayat polls in the State was held to elect 145 Zila Panchayat members, 1134 Janpad Panchayat members, 4163 sarpanchs and 36,745 panchs.
According to official sources, Durg district recorded maximum 87 per cent polling while insurgency hit Dantewada district recorded the least turnout of 28 per cent only. Kondagaon and Kanker districts recorded 55 per cent polling while Sukma and Bijapur districts recorded a turnout of 47 per cent and 32 per cent respectively. Bastar district recorded 66 per cent and Rajnandgaon district recorded 76 per cent polling. Raipur district recorded 63 per cent polling.
Naxals looted ballot boxes at several polling stations in insurgency- hit Bastar division including Sukma, Kanker and Rajnandgaon districts. Besides, Maoists fired at polling party near Kesokodi village under Kaoyalibeda Police Station in Kanker district. Naxals tried to disrupt polling at several places in Bastar by looting ballot boxes and firing at polling staff and security personnel, said IGP (Intelligence) Deepanshu Kabra
Reinforcement was rushed and the situation was taken under control. No injury or causality was reported in the incidents, he added. About 86 per cent polling was recorded in Balrampur, 83 per cent in Koriya and Dhamtari districts, 82 percent in Gariaband, 80 per cent in Janjgir-Champa, 75 per cent in Balod, 73 per cent each in Baloda Bazar and Jashpur, 72 per cent each in Korba, Kabirdham and Mungeli districts. Polling was 71 per cent in Bilaspur, 69 per cent each in Surajpur and Surguja districts while 65 per cent each in Raigarh and Mahasamund districts.