Voter turnout up 20% at some Maoist-hit booths

PATNA: Proper execution of meticulous planning to counter the Maoist poll boycott call in the four Lok Sabha constituencies in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections on Thursday paid rich dividends as some of the polling booths in Aurangabad, Nawada, Gaya and Jamui recorded 20% increase in the voter turnout, compared to 2014 general election.
Apart from a few incidents of group clashes and attempt to disrupt the poll process at a few booths, no major incident was reported from anywhere.The state administration had identified 50 most sensitive polling booths in the first phase and the deployment of security forces was done accordingly, a senior IPS officer posted at the police headquarters said, adding, “as a result, voters turned up at the polling booths in large numbers.”
For example, Dhaneta village under Banke Bazar police station area in Gaya Lok Sabha constituency recorded 67% polling compared to 40% in the 2014-general election. Similarly, the polling station at Bahera under the Imamganj block, also in Gaya Lok Sabha constituency, increased from 34% in 2014 to 55% this year.
Some other polling booths at Chakarbandha under Dumaria block in Gaya also recorded heavy turnout. Authoritative sources said the polling percentage in the Maoist-infested areas increased from 34% in 2014 to 50% in 2019. “All those booths under Gaya Lok Sabha constituency are located in the villages considered to be a Maoist strongholds,” the police officer said.
The scenes in Nawada and Jamui were almost the same. Polling in the two Maoist-hit constituencies went up to 53.60% in 2019 from 49.75% in 2014 election. The police officer attributed the reason for violence-free election in those areas to meticulous planning and its execution.
“What is noticeable is that the voters’ participation in Maoist-infested areas has increased more than 10% this time. This is a good sign in terms of participation of electorates in the poll process,” Gaya SSP Rajeev Mishra said on Friday.
Mishra claimed that he along with district magistrate Abhishek Singh had launched a slew of schemes for the residents in the remote villages earlier considered to be a hotbed of the Left-wing extremists before the election. “That did wonders in the election this time,” the SSP told this newspaper over phone.
While Gaya recorded an average 56.16% voter turnout, Aurangabad recorded 53.60%, Jamui 55.32% and Nawada 49.39% polling. Polling in other areas outside the Maoists’ influence witnessed an average 52-54% polling.
Additional chief electoral officer (ACEO) Sanjay Kumar Singh said two MI-17 choppers and drones were pressed into service for aerial surveillance on the polling stations located in the worst Maoist-affected areas in the four constituencies.
Over 41,000 security personnel, including 17,000 central armed police forces, were deployed in the first phase of election in Gaya (SC), Nawada, Jamui (SC) and Aurangabad Lok Sabha constituencies.