With One Security Man For Every 17 Villagers, Bastar Goes To Polls Amid Threats From Naxals

Voting in the world's biggest election is officially underway across India in the first phase for the Lok Sabha Election.

While most of the places the voting has remained largely peaceful, in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, the heartland of the Maoist insurgency the scene is totally different.

Bastar, which is voting in the first phase of the general election is under a security clampdown, to say the least amid the boycott call by the Maoists.?

BCCL/ REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE

The constituency has seen an unprecedented security deployment following an attack carried out by the insurgents in Dantewada on Tuesday which killed BJP MLA Bheema Mandavi and four police personnel.

AP

In view of the attack which happened just two days before the vote, around 80,000 personnel have been deployed in across Bastar.?

This include over 50,000 personnel from state and central forces and 200 companies (roughly around 25,000 personnel) of paramilitary forces like the CRPF and the Border Security Force.

This roughly translates to one security personnel for every 17 of the total of 13,72,127 registered voters in Bastar. There are a total of seven candidates in the fray.?

BCCL/ REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE

Out of the 1,879 polling booths in Bastar 741 have been marked as hypersensitive and 606 as sensitive. In view of Maoist threat, 289 polling stations were relocated to safer places. In 159 hypersensitive booths, polling parties were ferried by helicopters.

Bastar has for long remained one of the strongholds of the Maoist rebels who have targeted security personnel and other government staff in the region.?

The ultra who reject democracy has also regularly called for the boycott of elections and intimidate voters and candidates.