Naxal threat fails to keep Gadchiroli voters away

Despite the threat of a naxal attack in the Gadchiroli district, the ballot triumphed over the bullet with this district recording the second highest voter turnout in the Vidarbha region's 10 constituencies.

Voting day passed off peacefully on April 16 in Vidarbha, eastern Maharashtra, except for a feared attack at the Michgaon polling centre in the afternoon. But prompt police action ensured that no untoward incident took place.

Fearing attacks by the extreme left naxal terrorists and worried about transporting the electronic voting machines (EVM) out of the villages late in the evening, the administration had decided to stop polling in Gadchiroli at 3 pm (elsewhere, voting ended at 5 pm). While the EVM from all the polling centres reached Gadchiroli town on time, the officials posted at Michgaon failed to turn up.

According to the police, the officials at Michgaon were preparing to leave when they realised that they were surrounded by a group of naxals. They immediately informed the district headquarters and the Gadchiroli superintendent of police, Rajesh Pradhan, dispatched a 150-member police team to bring them back safely.

Despite the Naxal threat, Gadchiroli recorded a turnout of 54% of the voters listed, after Gondia-Bhandara's 56%. Wardha had the lowest turnout at 42%.

A state election department official said voting began on a dull note at 7am and only picked up after lunch. Around 1.81 crore voters had to elect 13 representatives from a total of 246 candidates in Vidarbha and a part of the Marathwada region.