LS polls: Explosives recovered in Bastar, 15% voting in 3 hours

Raipur: A huge haul of explosives, including 15 IEDs and three pressure bombs, were today recovered by security forces from separate places averting a massive strike in the Naxal-hit Bastar Parliamentary seat, where about 15 percent of the electorate cast their votes in the initial hours of polling.

The explosives–15 Improvised Explosive Devices - 10 kg each – buried beneath were unearthed this morning by a joint patrol squad of Border Security Force and district force from Nelnar area of Narayanpur district, Joint Chief Electoral Officer DD Singh told PTI.

Acting on a tip-off, the security personnel had conducted a de-mining exercise in Nelnar region following which they detected a large number of landmines. Later, owing to security reasons, the Nelnar polling booth was shifted to a nearby place Akabeda, he said.

In a separate incident, three pressure bombs were recovered from Bhansi police station limits of Dantewada district by a local police team.

The police party mobilised on getting information that Naxals have blocked Bacheli road in the region by felling trees. On reaching the spot, they recovered the bombs along with three dummy IEDs.

According to Singh, polling in Bastar began from 7 AM and around 15 percent turnout has been recorded till 10 AM.

The time of polling time in seven Assembly seats – Bastar, Chitrakot, Narayanpur, Bijapur, Konta, Kondagaon and Dantewada – in the region is till 3 PM while the single Jagdalpur Vidhan Sabha seat will witness polling upto 4 PM, he said.

However, at some sensitive polling booths, voting started after a short delay, Singh said.

Eight candidates including two women, are in the fray for the lone Bastar seat, where voting is underway in the first phase of elections in Chhattisgarh.

Of the 1,797 booths in Bastar, 1,407 booths have been marked as ‘critical’ and all steps have been taken to ensure free and fearless polling there, the official said.

BJP has once again fielded in its old face and sitting MP Dinesh Kashyap while Congress has reposed faith in Deepak Karma whose father Mahendra Karma, founder of Salva Judum movement, was killed in the Jiram valley Naxal attack on May 25 last year.

However, with the entry of AAP candidate Soni Sori, a tribal teacher from Dantewada region, the contest this time has become three-cornered.

Other candidates in the fray are: Manbodh Baghel (BSP), Shankar Ram Thakur (SP), Vimla Sori (CPI), Devchand Dhruv (CPI (ML) and Arjun Singh Thakur (Ambedkarite Party of India).

Earlier, a Naxal was gunned down late last night and another injured in an encounter with security forces in Sukma district.

The face-off took place in the restive Golapalli police station limits on Chhattisgarh-Andhra Pradesh border when the joint party of state police and Greyhounds personnel from AP was on a combing operation for ensuring security ahead of poll.

“The body of the slain Naxal has been recovered. The identity is yet to be ascertained,” Sukma Superintendent of Police Abhishek Shandilya told PTI.

The injured cadre has been shifted to Raipur for treatment, he added.

PTI