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Chattisgarh
By Aarti Dhar
Bags being loaded into a vehicle for distribution in Marwahi, the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Ajit Jogi's constituency on Sunday. — Photo: V. Sudershan
Of the four States going to the polls tomorrow, Chhattisgarh has been in the limelight for the strong observations made by the Chief Election Commissioner, J.M. Lyngdoh, on the `biased' attitude of its bureaucrats. As many as four Collectors and two Superintendents of Police were transferred on the EC's directions, two of whom moved the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) against the transfer and the case is now pending in the Chhattisgarh High Court. Another highlight of the election is that the voters will use Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for the first time and the Election Commission had made elaborate arrangements to teach the use of EVMs to the voters, particularly in the rural areas. The Congress and the BJP have a lot at stake in these elections that has now become a contest between the BJP and Mr. Jogi with issues taking the backseat. The Congress was way ahead before the Dilip Singh Judev episode. In fact, it had hoped to gain out of it. But, Mr. Judev's resignation earned him sympathy as people refuse to believe that he could take a bribe. The reaction was the same right from Jashpur district to the extremely backward area of Dantewada. The BJP is now cashing in on it. Instead of helping the Congress, the episode seems to have benefited the BJP. But the bigger loser in this has been the NCP, whose voters appear to have shifted their loyalty to the BJP. The Congress had expected to win more than 70 seats just about a month ago but now its candidates are betting on 45-50 seats, having realised the voters' resentment not against the party but against Mr. Jogi as an individual. There are more than 37 per cent tribal voters in the State. The Scheduled Castes and the Other Backward Classes comprise 50 per cent of the voters. The Congress is banking on this segment of voters. Unprecedented security arrangements have been made to ensure free and fair elections, particularly in the three districts of Bastar division, affected by naxalite activity. Altogether, 130 companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed in the State. Helicopters will be used for the first time to transport men and material for the elections in the naxalite-affected region. Security was intensified after an attack on the Bijapur sitting MLA and the Congress candidate, Rajendra Pambhoi, yesterday in which one policeman was killed and five were critically injured. The largest number of voters are in the Raipur rural Assembly constituency with 3.4 lakh voters and the lowest in Mandir Hasaud where there are only 82,119 voters. Both the constituencies fall in Raipur district. In all, 15,671 polling booths have been set up for the purpose. In Raipur rural, Bhilai and Katghora Assembly constituencies, two electronic voting machines will be placed due to a large number of contestants.
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