Chhattisgarh: Centenarians cast votes,71.93% till 6 pm

At least two centenarians were among the voters who turned up to cast votes during polling in 72 assembly constituencies in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday.

Samudri Patel, 106, cast her vote a polling station at Vaikunthpur in Korea district of Chhattisgarh. So did Dwar Prasad Netam, 101, at another polling station in Janjgir district of the State.

Subrat Sahu, Chief Electoral Officer of Chhattisgarh, tweeted the pictures of both the centenarians at the respective polling stations.

The Election Commission stated in New Delhi that nearly 71.93% % of the total 1.54 crore voters in 72 assembly constituencies in Chhattisgarh cast votes till 6:00 p.m.

Altogether 19336 polling stations have been set up for the final phase of voting in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday.

The Election Commission said that 77,53,337 men, 76,46,182 women and 877 people of “third gender” were expected to cast votes to decide the fate of 1079 candidates contesting for the 72 of the 90 elected seats in the State Assembly of Chhattisgarh.

The first phase of polling had taken place on November 12 when 18 constituencies – mostly in the hotbed of ultra-leftist insurgency – had gone to polls.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party led by Chief Minister Raman Singh is facing a challenge from the opposition Congress. Also in the fray is a coalition among former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi's Janata Congress, Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party with the Communist Party of India.

All the polling stations opened for voting at 8 a.m. barring only two in the areas affected by ultra-leftist insurgency where voting started at 7 a.m. 

Altogether 444 polling stations were identified as sensitive and 111 are being run fully by women poll officials. The EC deployed altogether 84688 polling personnel for the elections.

The candidates, who are in the fray for the 72 seats, include 113 belonging to Scheduled Castes, and 176 of Scheduled Tribes.

The votes will be counted on December 11 along with that cast for the assembly elections in four other states – Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana.