Chhattisgarh registers 71% vote in 1st phase

Raipur: A provisional turnout of around 71 per cent was recorded in the first phase of Chhattisgarh Assembly elections for 20 constituencies on Tuesday, voting for which was held in separate time slots, amid Naxalite violence and the call for boycott, officials said. Voting for 10 constituencies was held from 7 am to 3 pm in 10 seats and from 8 am to 5 pm in the rest 10 segments under a thick security blanket of police and paramilitary personnel in the Naxalite-hit Bastar division.

Notably, nearly 1 lakh security personnel have been deployed for the first phase of polls. “A 70.87 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 5 pm in the first phase of the Chhattisgarh elections on Tuesday. However, this figure may go up as the final data from several booths was yet to be received," a poll official said.

77 pc turnout in Mizoram

Aizawl: The Mizoram assembly elections passed off peacefully on Tuesday with over 77 per cent of 8.57 lakh electors exercising their franchise, officials said. The voting percentage is likely to touch 80 as final reports are yet to come from far-flung districts, additional chief electoral officer H Lianzela said.