About 70 per cent of 2.7 million voters exercised their franchise on Monday for Chhattisgarh’s 10 Municipal Corporations, 19 Municipal Councils and 22 Nagar Panchayats in a largely peaceful polling barring a few incidents of minor clashes.
Interestingly, the voters in Naxal belt defied rebels boycott call and did heavy polling even in worst hit Antagarh and Pakhanjoor pockets of restive Bastar region. State Election Commission had made elaborate security arrangements at all the 3,339 polling booths. Voting began at dull note at major cities such as Raipur, Durg, Rajnandgaon, Bilaspur, Korba, Raigarh but polling picked up in afternoon period.
In Naxal-hit areas, polling began at brisk note and people turned out in large numbers right from early morning to exercise their franchise. Insurgency-riddled Pakhanjoor recorded 75 percent polling, Antagarh 73 percent, Kondagaon 70 percent, Rajnandgaon 79 percent, Dongi Nagar Panchayat 80 percent, Narayanpur 63 percent, Sukma 65 percent, Dantewada 68 percent and Kanker 60 percent.
Dhamtari district recorded the highest turnout with 84 percent while Raipur stood at about 58 percent. Encouraged by heavy polling, Chief Minister Raman Singh who exercised his franchise with family at his home town Kawardha, claimed that the BJP was set to sweep in all the 10 Municipal Corporations.
“BJP is set to register a landslide victory in urban bodies polls, I am pleased with the reports coming in from all the areas which went to polls in the first phase,’’ Singh told newsmen after casting his vote. Meanwhile, Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhupesh Baghel said that Congress would achieve RsRsa highly better performance as voters wanted to teach a lesson to the ruling BJP for its misgoverance’’.
The second and the final phase of polling would be held on Dec 31. Counting will take place on January 4.