Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections Phase 2 LIVE updates: Voting ends; 70% turnout recorded

Chhattisgarh Assembly Polls: Voting for second phase of Chhattisgarh Assembly elections for 72 seats of 19 districts is underway amid tight security, with the deployment of over one lakh police personnel. In the first phase, polling was held in 18 seats of eight Naxal-affected districts on November 12.

बैकग्राउंड

New Delhi:Second and final phase of the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections is being held in 72 seats of 19 districts today amid tight security, with the deployment of over one lakh police personnel. The fate of nine ministers, assembly speaker and some other prominent leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well as of the Congress will be decide in the polls. In the first phase, polling was held in 18 seats of eight Naxal-affected districts on November 12. Polling will be held from 8 am to 5 pm in these seats of central and north Chhattisgarh where as many as 1,079 candidates, including 72 each from the BJP and the Congress, are in fray, an election official said. For the second phase of polls, there are 1,53,85,983 voters, including 77,46,628 men, 76,38,415 women and 940 of the third gender. As many as 19,296 polling booths have been set up for the second phase, the official said. Eyeing a fourth consecutive term, the BJP has set a target of winning 65 plus seats in the 90-member Assembly, while the Congress is seeking to end its 15-year exile from power in the tribal-dominated state. The coalition between the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), former chief minister Ajit Jogi's Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) has added a twist to the poll battle. The highest number of 46 contestants are in the Raipur City South constituency, while the lowest number of six contestants are in the Bindranavagarh seat. Over one lakh security personnel have been deployed to ensure peaceful polling, a police official said. Extra vigil is being maintained in Naxal-affected Gariaband, Dhamtari, Mahasamund, Kabirdham, Jashpur and Balrampur districts, he said. State Assembly Speaker Gaurishankar Agrawal has been retained from the Kasdol seat, which he had won against Congress's Rajkamal Singhaniya in the 2013 elections. The Congress has this time fielded a fresh face, Shankutala Sahu, from the seat. The BJP has this time fielded nine ministers Brijmohan Agrawal (Raipur City South), Rajesh Munat (Raipur City West), Amar Agrawal (Bilaspur), Bhaiyyalal Rajwade (Baikunthpur), Ramsevak Paikra (Pratappur), Punnulal Mohile (Mungeli), Prem Prakash Pandey (Bhilai Nagar), Dayaldas Baghel (Nawagarh) and Ajay Chandrakar (Kurud), and also state chief Dharamlal Kaushik (Bilha). Congress state chief Bhupesh Baghel (Patan), Leader of Opposition T S Singhdeo (Ambikapur), Congress MP from Durg Lok Sabha seat Tamradhwaj Sahu (Durg rural), and former Union minister Charandas Mahant (Shakti) are among the key opposition party candidates in the fray. It accused the prime minister of remaining "silent" on the "corruption charges" against Chief Minister Raman Singh in the alleged Rs 36,000-crore civil supply scam and not acting against the chief minister's son Abhishek Singh in the Panama Papers case. The chief minister and his son had earlier denied the allegations against them. The first phase of polls in 18 seats of eight Naxal-hit districts had recorded over 76 per cent voter turnout. The counting of votes will be held on December 11.

20/11/2018 17:43:35

Polling for the second and final phase of Chhattisgarh Assembly elections ended on Tuesday, with over 60 per cent of the over 1.5 crore electorate exercising their franchise. According to the Election Commission, over 60 per cent turnout was recorded at the official closure of voting at 5 p.m. However, the figure is likely to go up with people still standing in queues in many booth.

20/11/2018 17:34:08

Around 45.2 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 3 pm in 72 constituencies in the second and final phase of the Chhattisgarh Assembly polls.

20/11/2018 14:15:43

Nearly 25.2 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise till 12.30 pm in the second and final phase of the Chhattisgarh Assembly election on Tuesday, an election official was quoted as saying by PTI.

20/11/2018 14:14:56

The time of polling is from 8 am-5 pm, but in two polling booths - Amamora (booth No. 72) and Modh (No.76) in Bindranavgarh constituency (Gariaband district) -voting is being held from 7 am-3 pm due to the threat posed by Naxals, the official said.

20/11/2018 13:46:55

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh casts his vote at a polling booth in Kawardha. Raman Singh is a registered voter in Kawardha, but contests polls from Rajnandgaon, where voting took place in the first phase of polls for 18 seats on November 12.

20/11/2018 13:09:29

Former Chhattisgarh CM and leader of JCC party Ajit Jogi expressed confidence of victory in the ongoing polls and said: “if you will look at the crowd then it clearly shows that people are voting in our favour in large numbers. We are ready to defeat BJP with large number of votes.”
Attacking Congress he said it is such a party which is always in chaos and confusion.

20/11/2018 12:41:05

BSP leader Sudhindra Bhadoria said that people of Chhattisgarh are fed up of the BJP government. They are appreciating the coming together of Mayawati and Ajit Jogi and will vote for this alliance. BSP and Ajit Jogi's party will triumph in the election, he said.

20/11/2018 12:07:22

Ambikapur: Congress candidate TS Singh Deo casts his vote in the second phase of the assembly polls.

20/11/2018 11:46:26

Congress approaches EC: Congress registered complained with the EC about the alleged glitches in the EVMs. Party leaders also asked for cancellation of the candidature of the BJP candidate from the Samri Assembly constituency over allegations of distributing money among voters. The Congress leaders also pressed the EC for an investigation after EVM was discovered from a government official in Mahendragarh’s Chirmiri.

20/11/2018 11:28:14

Congress protests over EVM glitches: A delegation of Congress leaders led by PL Punia met the Election Commission in Delhi over alleged attempts to misuse and tamper EVMs in Chhattisgarh.

20/11/2018 11:09:18

Second and final phase of voting underway in Chhattisgarh; Senior Congress leader Motilal Vora casts vote in Durg from where his son Arun Vora is contesting.

20/11/2018 10:43:53

12.54% voting has been recorded till 10 am in the second phase of polling in the Chhattisgarh Assembly polls being held for 72 seats in 19 districts.

20/11/2018 11:03:31

Prime Minister Modi in a tweet urged people to vote in huge numbers with full enthusiasm in the second phase of Chhattisgarh Assembly polls.

20/11/2018 11:39:10

Congress state chief Bhupesh Baghel (Patan), Leader of Opposition T S Singhdeo (Ambikapur), Congress MP from Durg Lok Sabha seat Tamradhwaj Sahu (Durg rural), and former Union minister Charandas Mahant (Shakti) are among the key opposition party candidates in the fray.

20/11/2018 11:38:29

BJP has fielded nine ministers Brijmohan Agrawal (Raipur City South), Rajesh Munat (Raipur City West), Amar Agrawal (Bilaspur), Bhaiyyalal Rajwade (Baikunthpur), Ramsevak Paikra (Pratappur), Punnulal Mohile (Mungeli), Prem Prakash Pandey (Bhilai Nagar), Dayaldas Baghel (Nawagarh) and Ajay Chandrakar (Kurud), and also state chief Dharamlal Kaushik (Bilha).

20/11/2018 08:15:35

Voting has begun on 72 seats for the second phase. Visuals of polling in Bilaspur.

20/11/2018 08:12:08

Polling begins on the 72 seats of 19 districts undergoing elections.

20/11/2018 07:38:22

Second and final phase voting to beginat 8:00 am today.