The second phase of elections for 72 assembly seats recorded voter turnout of 71.93 per cent till 6 pm against 77.13 per cent in 2013
Braving Maoist threats, democracy came out as a winner in Chhattisgarh clocking 74.17 per cent turnout in the state polls that concluded on Tuesday. The figures are expected to go up, said poll officials.
The second phase of elections for 72 assembly seats recorded voter turnout of 71.93 per cent till 6 pm against 77.13 per cent in 2013.
"The turnout is expected to go up by 2-3 percentage points as we compile all the voting data," deputy election commissioner, Umesh Sinha said in New Delhi.
Amid allegations of impropriety, nearly 72 per cent turnout was recorded on Tuesday during the final phase of the two-leg polls to elect a 90 member assembly in Chhattisgarh where chief minister Raman Singh is seeking a fourth consecutive term for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
The phase two contest for 72 seats, spanning 19 districts, was fought fiercely at 19,296 booths which saw 1,079 candidates vie for a place in the state assembly.
Over 1 lakh security personnel, including paramilitaries, kept a strict vigil over the polls, particularly in Maoist-affected districts.Voting at two poll booths in Gariaband commenced at 7am and concluded at 3pm owing to threat perceptions.
Earlier in the day, the Congress accused the BJP of attempting to lure voters by distributing cash and tampering with electronic voting machines.
The 72 constituencies, forming a part of north and central Chhattisgarh, have remained a mainstay of BJP campaigns, since Chief Minister Raman Singh first led the party to victory in 2003. The ruling party currently holds sway in 43 of these assembly segments.
In the run-up to the elections, Congress raked up rise in fuel prices and agrarian issues to build its campaign. But its plans suffered a setback when former chief minister Ajit Jogi inked a pre-poll pact with the BSP and CPI before throwing his hat into the contest.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Jashpur: Voters stand in a queue at a polling station to cast their votes for the 2nd phase of Assembly elections,")
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}