Chhattisgarh's 2nd phase polls see 75% voter turnout

Over 10 million votes were cast in the final phase of elections for the 90-member assembly

Chhattisgarh registered another record in polling, with 75 per cent of voters exercising their franchise in the second phase on Tuesday.

“This is the figure that the office has received till 5 pm, even as people have queued in many booths to cast their votes,” said chief electoral officer Sunil Kujur. As of 5 pm, 74.65 per cent polling had been reported in the 72 constituencies that went to the polls. The final figure will be issued on Wednesday evening. It is possible the final figure could go above 80 per cent.

In the first phase of polling, in 18 constituencies, 75 per cent polling had been reported. Counting of votes is on December 8. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is hoping for a hat trick of wins; the Congress party hopes otherwise. The heavy polling has led people to be cautious in their predictions.

In Balod and Dhamtari constituencies, about 85 per cent polling had been recorded. Barring one clash between security forces and voters in Saja, in which one person was accidentally killed and two injured, polling in the second phase was by and large peaceful, Kujur said.

In Saja, from where Ravindra Choubey, leader of the opposition in the outgoing assembly, is contesting, Central Reserve Police Force jawans on duty had clashed with a group of people who were reportedly inebriated. A jawans pressed his gun trigger accidentally, killing one person and injuring two others. The state government has ordered a magisterial inquiry. The polling in the booth, Bhindarwani, was disrupted for nearly an hour.