2 polling staff, BSF jawan hurt in IED blast ahead of Chhattisgarh polls

Two polling personnel and a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan were injured on Monday in an IED blast triggered by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district a day ahead of the polling for the first phase of the assembly elections, police said.

The incident occurred at around 4 pm when four polling parties escorted by security personnel were heading to their respective polling stations under Chhotebethiya police station limits, a police official said.

A joint team of BSF and district police had set out from Marbeda camp escorting the polling teams to Rengaghati Rengagondi polling station, he said.

Near Rengagondi, a pressure IED exploded, leaving two polling personnel and BSF constable Chandraparakash Seval injured, he said.

The injured were shifted to Chhotebethiya hospital for treatment where their condition was said to be out of danger, he said.

The rest of the polling teams have safely reached the Rengagondi polling booth which falls under the Antagarh assembly constituency.

A search operation is underway in the area, he added.

Antagarh is among the 20 constituencies which will go to polls in the first phase of two-phase elections on Tuesday.