70 PC polling in second phase for 51 seats

    Raipur, November 20, 2008: About 70 per cent voters today exercised their franchise in the second and last phase of election for 51 seats.

     It was about 70 per cent votes registered today and was a smooth polling in all the 12,073 polling stations of 51 seats in which about 14,487 ballot units of Electronic Voting Machines were used, Election Commission officials told ChhattisgarhTopNews.Com today.

     Polling was started at 8.00 AM and continued up to 5.00 PM with elaborate security arrangements and deployment of BSF, CRPF and other Central and state forces.

     Meanwhile, reports received by Election Desk of the ChhattisgarhTopNews.Com revealed that there were several allegations of irregularities in electoral rolls in many places.

     Whether Raipur city, Korba, or places like tribal dominated Gariabandh or Sarguja areas people had the Electoral Photo Identity Cards but in many places their names were missing from the electoral rolls, which barred them from voting.

     However, BJP complaint that the name of Congress candidate from Marwahi Ajit Jogi is figured in Section 12 of Serial number 343 of Raipur South seat as well as in Section seven, Serial number 943 of Kota constituency and urged the Election Commission to take appropriate action in that matter as one can not have name in two places.

     In a stone throw incident in Giribar polling booth of Marwahi constituency the front glass of the vehicle of Ajit Jogi was damaged. When the incident took place Jogi was not in his vehicle.

     During the poll also two polling officials had died of cardiac arrest, including Pyarelal Dhruv in Telibandha polling booth and K K Jena in Gariyabandh, both in Raipur district.

     However, Election Commission officials said the second and last phase of election in 51 seats was by and large peaceful.