High-stakes poll contest starts with voting in C'garh, Mizoram

Voting for a crucial round of assembly elections kicked off in Mizoram and parts of Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, heralding the start of a weeks-long polling exercise widely regarded as a weathervane ahead of next year's national elections.

- Ritesh Mishra and Utpal Parashar

Mizoram recorded a turnout of 77.83% till 9pm, (compared to 81.61% in 2018) while voting in 20 seats of Chhattisgarh clocked 71.80%, even as stray clashes between security forces and Maoists in the state's troubled Bastar region left four CRPF personnel injured. To be sure, with voters who are still in queue allowed to cast their ballot even after the scheduled time period elapses, final percentages are updated the day after voting takes place.

The Maoist-infested Bastar region saw intermittent violence in four separate spots, said state police officers.

Four CPRF personnel were injured in an exchange of fire in Minpa and Duled villages in Sukma, with the security force pressing helicopters into action to evacuate wounded people.

In Sukma, an officer of the COBRA unit of the CRPF was injured after an IED blast.

In Kanker, the police recovered an AK-47 rifle after a gunfight in Panavar village in Bande district.