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The polling for the Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha bye-poll in Chhattisgarh began on Thursday amidst threat from the naxalites, who gave a call to boycott the election citing ‘lack of confidence in the democratic system’. 

The Ultras looted an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) during the wee hours at Hathrel about 120 km from the state capital.

The superintendent of police Amit Kumar while talking to Hindustan Times confirmed that Maoists had given a call for boycotting the poll through pamphlets and posters particularly in rural areas adjoining the Maharashtra border. According to available information, the Maoists of Gadchirolli Gondia division had issued a boycott call in several villages. The police recovered leaflets and posters pasted on walls by the extremists from Chowki, Mohla, Manpur and other villages.

“Naxals looted EVM at Hathrel and a fresh EVM was immediately put in place before the poll began today at 7.30 am”, said Amit Kumar. Tight security arrangements have been made in all hyper-sensitive polling stations through Central Para-military forces and state Special Armed Forces.

“Patrolling para-military forces are on the move covering all the hyper-sensitive polling stations and enough security personnel have been deployed at these centres”, informed the SP. There are 457 polling centres out of the total 1362 in the constituency declared as hyper-sensitive and around 275 have high presence of naxalites.

According to the state election commission there is no report of any harm to officials present at the polling booth, where EVM was looted.

The fate of fifteen candidates from various political parties would be sealed on Thursday, though the main contest is between Leelaram Bhojwani of the ruling BJP and the Congress MLA Devwrat Singh. The by-election was necessitated after BJP MP Pradip Gandhi caught in the cash-for-question scandal, was disqualified from the Lok Sabha.

E-mail author: ejaz.kaiser@hindustantimes.com