CG Election 2023 Voting Live: Polling concluded in 20 of the 90 Assembly seats in Chhattisgarh under the first phase of the Assembly elections underway in the state on Tuesday. The voter turnout recorded on seats that went to polls today stood at 76.26 per cent, according to Election Commission of India data. Polling was held in these 20 seats amid a thick layer of security with a majority of the constituencies falling under the restive Naxal-hit Bastar region. Polling on Tuesday was marred by two incidents of violence that left one security personnel injured and several Maoists injured or killed. An officer of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) was injured in an IED blast in Sukma district of the state. In another incident, several Maoists are believed injured or killed in an intense exchange of fire between the security forces and Naxals in Kanker.
Over 40 lakh electors were eligible to cast their ballot across 5,304 polling stations in the first phase. The 20 seats that went to polls in the first phase included Pandariya, Kawardha, Khairagarh, Dongargarh (SC), Rajnandgaon, Dongargaon, Khujji, Mohla-Manpur (ST), Antagarh (ST), Bhanupratappur (ST), Kanker (ST), Keshkal (ST), Kondagaon (ST), Narayanpur (ST), Bastar (ST), Jagdalpur, Chitrakot (ST), Dantewada (ST), Bijapur (ST) and Konta (ST). The second phase of polling in 70 seats will be held on November 17 and the results will be declared on December 3.
Phase-1 Chhattisgarh elections 2023 HIGHLIGHTS: Voting concludes in 20 seats with over 70 per cent voter turnout. Results will be declared on December 3. Keep following FinancialExpress.com for all election-related updates
Voting concludes in Phase 1 Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections 2023.
A voter turnout of 59.19 per cent was recorded in the first phase of voting in Chhattisgarh till 3 pm.
Chhattisgarh Commerce, Industries and Excise Minister and Congress candidate from Konta Assembly Constituency, Kawasi Lakhma cast his vote today saying that the party is fighting on the issue of development, security and peace.
"We are fighting on the issue of development, security and peace. Several development works have been done here in the last 5 years. I won by a margin of 6,700 votes and this year, I will win by a bigger margin," Kawasi Lakhma said after casting his vote on Tuesday. (ANI)
An encounter broke out between jawans of the Special Task Force (STF) and Naxals in the forest area near Orchha police station in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, officials said.
"STF personnel are safe as Naxals fled amid the encounter. The area is being searched. The viral information circulating on social media about polling booths being gheraoed by the Naxals is wrong and voting is going on," officials said. (ANI)
On the day of voting for the first phase of Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, Naxal insurgents targeted the District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel near the Banda police station on Tuesday.
The armed confrontation occurred as the DRG personnel were stationed approximately 2 kilometers from the Banda polling station. Security forces retaliated, leading to a ten-minute exchange of fire before the Naxals stopped their attack. Read more
The voter turnout in the first phase of polling in Chhattisgarh has been recorded at 44.55 per cent as of 1 pm.
While addressing a rally in Chhattisgarh's Surguja district, PM Modi alleged that crimes including human trafficking, drug dealing have increased under the Congress rule. He further blamed that grand old party of creating obstruction in Droupadi Murmu becoming the President. "You can't imagine how much Congress tried to stop (Droupadi Murmu from becoming the first Tribal President of India), but it was the BJP which ensured this honour to her," he said.
According to reports, an exchange of gunfire between Naxalites and the District Reserve Guard (DRG) in the vicinity of Durma polling station in Konta assembly constituency in Chhattisgarh has been witnessed. Naxalites have imposed a voting boycott and are preventing voters from participating in the ongoing elections.
A voter turnout of 26.97 per cent has been recorded in Chhattisgarh till 11 am, according to the Election Commission of India.
The government data shows the highest voter turnout of 34.65 per cent in Kanker, followed by 32.5 per cent in Kondagaon, 28.84 per cent in Antagarh, 27 per cent in Mohla Manpur, 23.21 per cent in Khairagarh, 23.21 per cent in Kawardha, 25 per cent in Khujji, 18.36 per cent in Jagdalpur, and 19.97 per cent in Bastar. The lowest voter turnout of 9.11 was recorded in Bijapur, PTI reported.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday arrived in Chhattisgarh to address a rally amid the undergoing phase 1 assembly polls, blowing the bugle for BJP's next round of campaigns in the run-up for phase 2 elections.
"The first phase of elections in Chhattisgarh is underway and as far as I have got to know, people are coming out to vote in large numbers... After independence, Adivasis did not exist for the Congress party. Congress never bothered about you or your children whereas BJP has always prioritised the development of Adivasis...Did you ever imagine that a woman coming out of an 'Adivasi' family could become the President of our country" PM Modi asked.
As the voting for the first phase of the Chattisgarh Assembly polls for 20 seats is underway, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Tuesday said that Naxalism has retreated to a great extent with the work done in 5 years. As a result, the Chief Minister expect high voting percentage in naxal affected areas.
"Earlier, big incidents used to happen, now small incidents are happening. I think this will also stop in the future. Naxalism has retreated to a great extent with the work we have done in 5 years. As a result, polling booths have been set up inside villages. People will vote in their village itself. There is a possibility of high voting percentage in naxal-affected areas" said Bhupesh Baghel.
There are a total of 223 candidates in the fray for 20 seats. 5304 voting booths have been set up by the election commission for this phase. There are 40 lakh, 78 thousand, and 681 voters in this phase. Of these, there are 19 lakh, 93 thousand, 937 male voters and 20 lakh, 84 thousand, 675 female voters. In this phase, 13 of the 20 seats are reserved for SC/STs. Overall, in the state, 29 seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs) and 10 seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs).
Speaking to news agency ANI, BJP leader and former Chhattisgarh CM Dr Raman Singh, said, "The BJP is winning a minimum of 14 seats in the first phase...Both phases will be good, and the BJP will form the government with a complete majority. There is an enormous undercurrent for the BJP in Chhattisgarh."
Dr Raman Singh is fighting the Chhattisgarh polls from the Rajnandgaon seat. Congress has fielded senior OBC leader and chairman of Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation, Girish Dewangan, against him.
Nearly 10 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 9.30 am in 20 constituencies during the first phase of Chhattisgarh assembly elections on Tuesday, a poll official told news agency PTI.
Polling began at 7 am in 10 of the 20 assembly constituencies where elections are being held in the first phase. It will end at 3 pm. Voting in the remaining 10 seats started at 8 am and will end at 5 pm.
“Till 9.30 am, around 10 per cent turnout was recorded in the 20 constituencies,” the official said.
In a post in Hindi on X, Rahul Gandhi said, "When you exercise your franchise, remember, Congress' trustworthy government once again in Chhattisgarh."
"Congress's guarantee to Chhattisgarh: Farmers loan waiver; purchase of 20 quintal/acre paddy; ₹10,000/year to the landless; ₹3,200 MSP on paddy; ₹6,000/sack on tendu leaves; ₹4000/year bonus for Tendupatta; 200 units electricity free; ₹500 subsidy on gas cylinder; free education from KG to PG; free treatment up to ₹10 lakh; housing for 17.5 lakh families; caste census."
After casting his vote for the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections, Congress candidate Mohan Markam from Kondagaon exuded confidence that he would emerge victorious for the third time.
"The BJP cannot compete with Congress in Chhattisgarh, that is why they are using Enforcement Directorate," Markam said. He was referring to the ED's allegations that Mahadev betting app promoters paid about Rs 508 crore to Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
The election season kicked off on Tuesday with voting underway on 20 seats in Chhattisgarh and all 40 seats in Mizoram. Assembly polls this year come amid a political atmosphere that is starkly different from 2019 when the BJP stormed to power at the Centre despite losing the electoral battle in three key states. The elections this year are a bigger test for the efficacy of the ‘Modi cult’ and whether the BJP’s politics of Hindutva carries the same firepower. Read more
One soldier of the CRPF CoBRA Battalion was injured in an IED blast triggered by Maoists in the Tondamarka area of Sukma. The soldier was deployed for election duty. Read more
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to voters of Mizoram and Chhattisgarh to turn out in huge numbers. Reiterating Home Minister Amit Shah's words, PM Modi urged the youth of Mizoram to vote in large numbers. For Chhattisgarh, he said it is a sacred festival of democracy in the state.
Polling in the first phase of Chhattisgarh assembly election began at 7 am in 10 seats. Several of these seats, including Dantewada and Narayanpur, lie in the Bastar division, which has long been plagued by Naxalism. Security arrangements have been beefed up in Bastar division and Maoist-affected Mohla-Manpur, including the deployment of the elite anti-Naxal unit CoBRA, drones, helicopters, bomb disposal team and dog squad.
Around 60,000 security personnel, 40,000 of them belonging to the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and 20,000 from the state police, are on the ground for the smooth conduct of polls in Bastar division which has 12 assembly segments.
Of the 20 seats that went to polls today, the Congress won 17 in the 2018 assembly elections while the BJP could bag just two. One seat was won by the Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC). For the 2023 assembly elections, while the ruling Congress has chosen to go with incumbent CM Bhupesh Baghel as its face for the campaign, the BJP is banking on the popularity of Prime Minister Modi and the impact of several central schemes to work their magic on voters.