RAIPUR: An Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) jawan was killed in an IED blast carried out by Naxalites in Gariaband amid polling for the second phase of the assembly elections in Chhattisgarh on Friday. The slain ITBP jawan has been identified as Head Constable Joginder Singh. The incident took place near Bade Gobra village when a polling team, escorted by security personnel, was returning after conducting voting, a senior police official said.  


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Sharing more details, he added after the Naxalites triggered the IED blast, reinforcement was rushed to the spot.


IG Raipur Range Arif Sheikh said that the blast was carried out when the polling party were returning from the polling station. "IED blast was carried out by the Naxals targeting the polling party when they were returning from Bade Gobra polling station. ITBP head constable Joginder Singh died in the blast. The polling party and EVM machine reached Gariaband safely.," IG Raipur Range Arif Sheikh said.


Chhattisgarh recorded 68.15 per cent voter turnout till 5 pm in the second phase of state Assembly polls on Friday, according to the Election Commission. Ambikapur recorded a voter turnout of 65.05 percent whereas Bharatpur Sonhat recorded 67.94 percent. Bilaspur recorded 56.28. Till 5 pm, the maximum voter turnout has been recorded in the Kurud constituency with 82.60 per cent, as per the Election Commission.


The election body stated that that history has been created as for the first time, all the polling booths in the Raipur North Assembly Constituency in Chhattisgarh were staffed and managed completely by women polling personnel.


The second phase of polling in Chhattisgarh, to its 90-seat Assembly on November 17, began in 70 Assembly constituencies spread over 22 districts in the State. The timing for polling is from 8 am to 5 pm except for nine polling booths in the Naxal-affected Bindranawagarh seat in Rajim district, where voting was held from 7 am to 3 pm.


A total of 958 candidates are in the fray across the 70 seats for which polling is being held currently. Over 18,800 polling stations have been set up for the second phase of polling.


Congress and BJP are engaged in a fierce fight with both parties seeking to outdo each other in terms of poll promises. The polls, coming nearly six months ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, are crucial for both the BJP and Congress for various reasons. The counting of votes for the five states including Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram will be done on December 3.