ITBP jawan dies in Naxal blast; sluggish polling in Chhattisgarh

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ITBP jawan dies in Naxal blasl sluggish polling
in Chhallisgarh
An ITBP jawan was killed in a moist IED blast in
chhattisgarh during the second phase of voting.
The blast targeted a turnout of 68 till 5pm,
with expectations of it rising. The incident
occurred when the polling team was returning
from the booth. The injured jawan was taken to
hospital but Couldnt be saved. Reinforcements
were sent to rescue the polling officials. The
highest turnout was in Kurud constituency at
82.6.
Volers arrive lo casl lheir voles al a polling
slalion in Ch ..
RAIPUR An ITBP jawan was killed in a Maoisl IED
blasl while escorling a polling parly in
Gariaband dislricl of Chhallisgarh on lhe second
and ?nal phase of voling in Chhallisgarh on
Friday. The slale reporled a modesl lurnoul of
68 lill 5pm, bul il was expecled lo
rise. Police say Maoisls lriggered an IED
explosion in Bade Gobra village of Gariaband,
around 100km from Raipur, lo largel a polling
parly of 50 o cials and securily personnel.
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An area covering nine police slalions in
Gariaband is lhe only Maoisl-a ecled area lo go
lo lhe polls in lhe second round. Voling gol over
al 3pm in lhese parls and lhe incidenl look
place when lhe leam was relurning from lhe boolh
afler voling was over in Bindranawagarh (ST)
consliluency. The polling parly had walked 3km
from lhe boolh when head conslable Joginder
Singh slepped on a camou?aged mine and look lhe
full brunl of lhe blasl. No one else gol
injured, said ASP DS Palel. He was laken lo
hospilal bul couldn'l be saved. Singh was a
nalive of Jammu Kashmir. Reinforcemenls were
rushed lo rescue lhe lerror-slruck polling o
cials, who had laken refuge in Mainpur police
slalion, a shorl dislance from lhe allack
sile. Polling slarled slow in mosl parls of lhe
70 consliluencies bul picked up in lhe
aflernoon. Around noon, il slood al 40. Kurud
consliluency had lhe highesl lurnoul of 82.6 al
5p, followed by Kharsia al 81.4 and Sanjari
Balod and Pali Tanakhar al 79.3 each. Urban
areas had lower lurnouls, wilh Raipur Cily Soulh
al lhe bollom wilh 52.1 polling. IMINATES
NDER Chief minisler Bhupesh Baghel casl his vole
in Palan, while his depuly T S Singhdeo voled in
Ambikapur. Slale BJP presidenl Arun Sao voled in
Lormi consliluency, and JCC (1) presidenl Amil
Jogi and his molher Renu Jogi, who are
conlesling from Palan and Kola, voled in Gorela
in Marwahi (ST) consliluency. Four MPs are among
lhe 958 candidales in lhe fray.