Bijapur/Sukma. In the first phase of Lok Sabha elections, efforts to transport polling personnel through several helicopters were started on Tuesday amid tight security for the Naxal-affected Bastar seat. Voting on this seat will be held on April 19. Officials of the Chief Electoral Officer office in the state said that the process of sending electronic voting machines (EVMs) and polling teams to the polling stations located in sensitive areas of Bijapur and Sukma districts has been started.
There have been several incidents of Naxalite attacks on security forces during elections in both the districts located in the southern part of Bastar Lok Sabha constituency. Bijapur District Magistrate Anurag Pandey said that a total of 245 polling stations have been set up for the general elections in the district. Of these, 99 polling stations in interior areas have been shifted (to safe places). Pandey said that about 76 polling parties will be airlifted to their destination through helicopters and this process started from Tuesday, three days before the voting.
He said that the polling parties who will reach their destination before the polling day will stay in the nearest camp of the security forces.
Pandey said that all preparations have been made to ensure peaceful voting. Bijapur District Superintendent of Police Jitendra Yadav said that in view of the Lok Sabha elections, adequate number of security forces have been deployed in the district. Search and anti-Naxal operations have been intensified in the area.
Another official said that similarly, the process of sending polling parties has been started in neighboring Sukma district also.
He said that on Tuesday, 27 polling parties and EVM machines will be sent to their destinations via helicopter.
Voting for 11 Lok Sabha seats in the state will be held in three phases on April 19, April 26 and May 7 and the counting of votes will take place on June 4.
Voting will be held in the first phase in Bastar Lok Sabha constituency alone. While voting will be held in three other constituencies Mahasamund, Rajnandgaon and Kanker (ST) on April 26. Voting will be held in the last phase on May 7 in the remaining seven Lok Sabha constituencies Raipur, Durg, Bilaspur, Raigarh (ST), Korba, Janjgir-Champa (SC) and Surguja (ST).
Earlier, an official of the Chief Electoral Officer's office in Raipur had said that in view of the Maoist threat and geographical areas, polling personnel will be transported to 167 polling stations in three Lok Sabha constituencies Bastar (Scheduled Tribe reserved), Kanker (ST) and Mahasamund. Helicopter will be used to go. He said that according to the plan, 919 polling personnel will be sent via helicopter to 156 polling stations of Bastar constituency. Whereas 84 personnel will be sent to nine polling stations of Kanker seat and two polling stations of Gariaband area of Mahasamund seat.
In the assembly elections held last year, the Indian Air Force flew 404 sorties with eight Mi-17 helicopters for six days, taking 853 polling party members to the polling booths in five districts of Bastar division, Sukma, Bijapur, Kanker, Dantewada and Narayanpur. Was delivered and taken out from there.