As many as 11 civic bodies spread out in eight districts, including Bhilai Municipal Corporation and insurgency-hit Sukma, Bijapur and Kanker, recorded heavy but peaceful polling on Monday. Results for the same are to be announced on December 31.
The ruling BJP and the opposition Congress are locked in a straight fight in Bhilai Municipal Corporation and Jamul Municipal Council in Durg district, Marro Nagar Panchayat (Bemetara), Khairagarh Municipal Council (Rajnandgaon), Baikunthpur Municipal Council and Shivapurcharcha Municipal Council (Koriya), Konta Nagar Panchayat in (Sukma), Bhairamgarh and Bhopalpatnam Nagar Panchayat in (Bijapur), Naharpur Nagar Panchayat (Kanker) and Premnagar Nagar Panchayat in (Surajpur).
Chhattisgarh’s State Election Commissioner (CEC) P C Dalei said that no violence or any untoward incidents were reported from anywhere, though Naxal-hit Narharpur registered a record 85.76 per cent voting, Bhopalpatnam 82.43 per cent and Nagar Panchayat Konta 72 per cent.
The polling per cent was put at 57 per cent in Bhilai Municipal Corporation where the BJP and the Congress had suspended several local heavyweights for campaigning against parties’ official
candidates.
State Election Commission has said that final polling percentage could go higher once final figure was compiled after receiving reports from interiors and Naxal-hit areas.
The BJP claimed it would sweep the urban bodies’ polls including Bhilai mayor post, while the Congress too said it would be comfortably winning majority of urban
bodies seats.