Chhattisgarh polls: Bombs defused, gunfight with Maoists amid voting

BJP's litmus test in Chhattisgarh's Maoist areas began on Monday morning as people began casting their ballot for 18 assembly seats in eight Maoist-affected districts.

Only 18 seats in the volatile heartland of Chhattisgarh are polling today in the first phase. The remaining 72 seats will go to poll on 20 November.

Elections officials reported nearly 16% voter turnout till 11am on Monday. People are casting their vote amid tight security. Earlier in the morning, bomb squad diffused three explosives near a poll booth at Konta.

Elections officials are taking no chances in the Maoist areas so much that nearly 900 polling personnel were air airdropped into the polling regions. Nearly 16,500 more staff travelled by train to beef up numbers for elections that have traditionally been a tinderbox.