Chhattisgarh

Raipur, Nov 20; PTI:  Voting for the second and final phase of Chhattisgarh Assembly elections began on Tuesday amid high security.

A total of 1079 candidates are contesting in the 72 constituencies of 19 districts in the state with an electorate of 1,54,00,596.

This is the last of the two-phase polls to the 90-member Assembly where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been in power for the last 15 years.

Raipur, Nov 12 (PTI) Five CoBRA personnel were injured in two encounters with the Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Monday, the first phase of the state elections, police said.

The skirmish took place at separate spots at a forest in Pamed, around 500 km from Raipur. The Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) -- an elite unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) -- was patrolling the area in view of the voting going on in the region, a senior police officer said.

Raipur, Nov 12 (PTI) Two Naxals were gunned down Monday evening in an encounter with security forces in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, police said.

Two other rebels were caught from the encounter site, an official said.

The gunfight took place in forests near a village under Pushpal police station limits when a team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) was returning after discharging election-related duty, Sukma Superintendent of Police Abhishek Meena told PTI.

New Delhi, Nov 12 (PTI) Around 70 per cent voter turnout was registered in the first phase of the Chhattisgarh Assembly polls, the Election Commission (EC) said Monday.

The turnout was likely to go up as the final figures were yet to be received, Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha said.

In the first phase, voting was held in 18 of the 90 Assembly seats in Chhattisgarh.

Till 5.30 pm, the overall voter turnout was 58.55 per cent, the EC said.

Raipur, Nov 7 (PTI) A village sarpanch's husband was killed by Naxals in Sukma district of poll-bound Chhattisgarh Wednesday afternoon, police said.

Kalmu Dhruva, the victim, was a worker of the Communist Party of India (CPI) while his wife is sarpanch of Bodko village, said Sukma Superintendent of Police Abhishek Meena.

"According to villagers, he was brutally beaten to death with sticks by the ultras," the SP said, adding that a police team has been sent to the spot.

Naxals have called for a boycott of the Assembly polls.

NEW DELHI, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Sixty-two Naxals surrendered to police on Tuesday in central Indian state of Chattisgarh, officials said.

The Naxals surrendered in Narayanpur district, about 223 km south of Raipur, the capital city of Chhattisgarh.

"Today 62 Naxals have shunned the path of violence and laid down arms by surrendering to police here," a police official said. "The top officials of the police were present during the function when these Naxals submitted themselves to the law."

Of the 62 Naxals, majority of them laid down their arms.

Raipur (CG), Oct 28 (PTI) A BJP leader was critically injured Sunday after he was attacked by suspected naxals with sharp edged weapons in poll-bound Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, around 400 kms from here, the police said.

The attack took place at around 8 pm when Nandal Mudiyami, a member of Dantewada Zila Panchayat, was at his house in Palnar village, Dantewada Additional Superintendent of Police Gorakhnath Baghel told PTI.

Soon after the incident, his relatives informed police and rushed him to Dantewada hospital, he said.

Raipur (CG), Oct 28 (PTI) A BJP leader was critically injured Sunday after he was attacked by suspected naxals with sharp edged weapons in poll-bound Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, around 400 kms from here, the police said.

The attack took place at around 8 pm when Nandal Mudiyami, a member of Dantewada Zila Panchayat, was at his house in Palnar village, Dantewada Additional Superintendent of Police Gorakhnath Baghel told PTI.

Soon after the incident, his relatives informed police and rushed him to Dantewada hospital, he said.

Raipur, Oct 20 (PTI) Three Naxals were gunned down in an encounter with security forces in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh Saturday, police said.

The skirmish took place around 9.30 am in the forest near Madpal village under Mirtur police station limits when a team of District Reserve Guard (DRG) was out on an anti-Naxal operation, Bijapur Superintendent of Police, Mohit Garg told PTI.

Raipur, Oct 12 (PTI) One naxal was gunned down in an encounter with security forces in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, police said Friday.

The gunbattle took place Thursday evening in a forest under Pusnar police station when a team of District Reserve Guard (DRG) was returning after carrying out an anti-naxal operation, Sukma Superintendent of Police Abhishek Meena told PTI over phone.