Raipur: Voter turnout of 76.35 per cent was recorded in the Chhattisgarh Assembly election which concluded Tuesday, poll authorities said. It was a little less than the previous 2013 polls when 77.40 per cent of voters had exercised their franchise. The election to the 90-member Assembly was held in two phases — November 12 and 20. The incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in power for the last 15 years. “An average 76.35 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the two-phased election,” Chief Electoral Officer Subrat Sahoo said at a press conference here.
While 76.39 per cent polling was registered in the first phase which covered 18 constituencies in eight Naxal affected districts, 76.34 per cent turnout was registered in the second phase across 72 seats Tuesday. The highest turn-out was in Kurud (88.99 per cent) in Dhamtari disrict while the lowest turn-out was recorded in Bijapur (47.35 per cent). As many as 38 constituencies witnessed over 80 per cent voting. In 24 constituencies women voted in larger numbers than men. Polling parties from all 72 constituencies where voting took place Tuesday have returned safely, the CEO said.
A total of 28 companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) are guarding the strong-rooms where EVMs have been kept, he said. A total of 1,269 candidates are in fray in this year’s elections. A coalition of former chief minister Ajit Jogi’s Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) has added another dimension to the electoral politics dominated by the BJP and Congress. Counting of votes will take place on December 11.