50 per cent polling recorded; six Naxals killed

Six Naxalites were killed in the extremist-infested Bastar region as an estimated 50 per cent of the 1.37 crore electorate cast their franchise.

Six Naxalites were killed and 12 injured in 20 encounters with the police on Tuesday in the extremist-infested Bastar region of Chhattisgarh as an estimated 50 per cent of the 1.37 crore electorate cast their franchise around the time of the close of polling for all the 11 Lok Sabha seats and two assembly by-polls in the state.

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Bastar range Inspector General of Police Giridhari Nayak said that the body of a Naxalite was recovered from Bheji area of Dantewada district after an encounter with security forces but in the rest of the incidents the Naxalites fled with the bodies of their colleagues or those hurt.

All the encounters occurred in worst-affected districts of Bastar, Dantewada and Kanker, Nayak said adding, 11 cases were reported during the polling hours.

Four para-military personnel--two each from CRPF and BSF--were injured in landmine blasts triggered by the PWG and MCC ultras who have given poll boycott call in the Bastar region.

In a bid to enforce the boycott call, PWG extremists looted EVMs of nine booths and forced all voters of a village in Kanker district to flee without exercising their franchise, chief electoral officer AK Vijayvargie said.

While in Bastar Lok Sabha constituency polling was suspended in seven booths because of the looting, in neighbouring Kanker constituency EVMs were looted from two booths but polling resumed in one of them after fresh EVMs were rushed, he said.

Moderate to heavy polling was also held in two assembly seats--Akaltara and Dongargaon from where Chief Minister Raman Singh is in the fray.