Chhattisgarh Assembly election 2023: Chhattisgarh is gearing up to vote to elect all 90 members of the state's Legislative Assembly. Conducting voting in the interior areas of Bastar has been a big challenge for the Election Commission (EC) and security forces. The Maoist organization has always been boycotting elections. Amidst all the challenges, unprecedented progress is taking place this year.
The first phase of voting in Chhattisgarh is going to be held on November 7. Voting will be held on 20 seats in the first phase, out of which 12 seats fall under the Bastar division. In the 40 inner villages of the division where voting will take place for the first time, a total of 126 polling booths have been built. Earlier these areas were under the control of Naxalites. The challenging topographical conditions and security concerns prevented polling stations from being set up in these villages.
Under the alternative system, polling booths were set up in safe locations several kilometres away from the village. On the other hand, orders were given to the villagers by the Naxalites that whoever voted would have their fingers cut off. The locals were consequently unable to cast their votes. However, things have changed now and more than 60 security force camps have been set up in Bastar's interior in the last four years. Additionally, roads leading to the interior areas have been built. The area of Naxalites has also become limited over a period of time.
What Booth Level Officer stated?
Speaking to the media, Madanlal Nag, Booth Level Officer (BLO), said that he has distributed slips door-to-door to 512 voters out of 638 voters. "This time the villagers have become more aware than in the last 10-15 years. They are also asking whether it is Lok Sabha or Assembly elections. So we inform them that assembly elections are being conducted. So there is a lot of enthusiasm among them," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
"Earlier people were hesitant to vote because this was a Naxal-affected area. For the first time, all the men and women aged 18 years who are eligible to vote have come and got their names registered and will vote for the first time this time," Nag added.
Polling booth for the first time in Chandameta
It should be noted here that Chandameta is a village of Darbha block in Bastar district. There are 335 voters in this village. For the first time after the country's independence, a polling station has been established here. This village was not even accessible by road until a few years ago. The polling centre of this village was built in Chhindgur village -- 7 kilometres away from the village. There was daily movement of Naxalites here. Under pressure, the people of the village had also joined the Naxalite organization. According to reports, dozens of elderly people are likely to vote for the first time in their lives in this Naxalite-prone area.
Chhattisgarh Assembly elections
The first phase of polling for 20 seats in Chhattisgarh will take place on November 7, 2023. The remaining 70 seats in the state will go to polls on November 17. The counting of votes will take place on December 3. In the last polls, the Congress won 68 of the total 90 assembly seats, while the BJP finished a distant second at 15. The Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J), founded by former CM late Ajit Jogi, bagged five seats and its ally Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) won in two segments.
(With inputs from ANI)
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