Heightened security in Chhattisgarh for final phase

Raipur, November 19

All arrangements have been made for the second and final phase of the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections to be held in 72 seats of 19 districts on Tuesday 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 BJP as well as of the Congress will be decided in the polls. In the first phase, polling was held in 18 seats of eight Naxal-affected districts on November 12.

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.

Over one lakh security personnel have been deployed to ensure peaceful polling, a police official said.

During the poll campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and other senior saffron party leaders targeted Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and his family. The Congress, however, raised farmers’ issues during the poll campaign. — PTI