66% voting in three states assembly polls, 1 killed

An estimated 66 per cent of the electorate today exercised their franchise in assembly elections in Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh amidst sporadic violence in which one polling agent was killed.

Maharashtra registered 60 per cent turnout of voters while Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh saw a much higher polling of 66 per cent and 72 per cent, respectively, Chief Election Commissioner Navin Chawla told reporters in New Delhi.

Mumbai, the country's financial hub, and its suburbs saw a turnout of 50 per cent.

A 48-year-old polling agent of an independent candidate was killed in a clash with supporters of a Congress nominee in Gulha assembly constituency in Haryana's Kaithal district, a police official said.

Notwithstanding the massacre of 17 policemen five days ago and poll boycott call by naxals in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra, an estimated 55 per cent of electorate cast votes while neighbouring Gondia, also hit by Maoist menace, gave a stronger rebuff to the ultra-Left with a 68 per cent turnout.

Stray incidents of firing were seen in Gadchiroli district where polling could not take place at 22 polling station as the staff failed to reach the destinations because naxals put up obstacles, District returning officer Atul Patne told reporters, said a report from Nagpur.

A total of six incidents of naxalites opening fire were reported today. In the first incident, a group of naxals opened fire in Kasansur in Ahri Taluka but the police did not retaliate as part of a strategy.

In the second incident, naxals fired a few rounds aimed at polling station at Bonde in Korchi Taluka. A chhopper was immediately pressed into service to send additional police force there, Additional S P Gadchiorli, Manoj Sharma, said.

In an another incident, naxals fired in Kawatha in Kurkheda Taluka but none of the security personnel was hurt in any of the incident.

Over 1.29 lakh state police and central forces were deployed across Maharashtra where voting is being held for 288 assembly seats.

Among the early voters in Maharashtra were Union Ministers Sharad Pawar and Vilasrao Deshmukh, industrialist Anil Ambani, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, Bollywood icons Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and a host of other film personalities.