Naxal-affected Bastar records 57 pc voting

Altogether 57 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the naxal-affected Bastar Lok Sabha constituency of Chhattisgarh Thursday.

Election officials said the figure may go up as several polling parties which manned booths in remote interior areas will return only Friday, after which the final turnout will be calculated.

Voting which began at 7 am, ended in four Assembly segments -- Dantewada, Konta, Bijapur and Narayanpur -- at 3 pm, while in the other four segments -- Bastar, Chitrakot, Kondagaon and Jagdalpur -- it ended at 5 pm.

Congress candidate from the seat Dipak Baij, BJP candidate Baiduram Kashyap, Congress leader and state minister Kawasi Lakhma, BJP leader and former minister Kedar Kashyap voted in their respective areas.

Wife and relatives of BJP MLA Bheema Mandavi who was killed in a Naxal attack in Dantewada Tuesday also exercised their franchise.

Dantewada assembly segment recorded a turnout of around 43.63 per cent till 3 pm.

Nearly 80,000 state and paramilitary personnel were deployed across the constituency.