This story is from February 28, 2022

Bandits gone, people vote freely in hilly terrain of Chitrakoot

Enthusiastic voters in large number came out from their houses in dacoit infected belt and hilly terrain of Chitrakoot district and energetically participated in dance of democracy.
Bandits gone, people vote freely in hilly terrain of Chitrakoot
Prayagraj: Enthusiastic voters in large number came out from their houses in dacoit infected belt and hilly terrain of Chitrakoot district and energetically participated in dance of democracy.
The fate of all 20 candidates contesting from two assembly seats – Chitrakoot Sadar and Manikpur (10 each) – was locked in EVMs as district recorded 59.50 percent polling by 5pm on Sunday.

With the beginning of polling, voters in a sizeable number stated reaching polling booths and the district recorded 59.50 % percent polling by 5 pm as per the state election commission.
The voting percentage in 2017 assembly was recorded 60.61 percent.
Pointedly, after the elimination of last existing bandit Udaybhan Yadav alias Gauri Yadav by UP special task force police last year, this was the first assembly polls in the hilly terrains of Chitrakoot, when Bundelkhand voted without shadow of brigands or their diktats.
Around 60 percent voters exercised their franchise in two seats of the district amidst foolproof security arrangements. There were a total of 7,13,313 voters including 3,85,526 males, 3,27,760 females and 22 transgenders in the district and 862 polling booths in the Chitrakoot district.

Excitement was palpable among voters particularly dacoit infected belt of district including Manikpur, Bahilpurwa, Markundi, Raipura and adjoining areas.
The STF had last year gunned down the region’s lone bandit, Gauri Yadav, at village near Madho Bandha forest area in Bahilpurwa police limits of Chitrakoot. The slain dacoit carried a Rs 5.5-lakh bounty, including 50,000 by MP Police.
A senior cop said, “Large number of voters came out from their houses to cast their votes in both seats of the district”. He, however, admitted that wiping out the gang of Gauri Yadav had helped free the hilly terrains of Bundelkhand straddling UP and MP of decades-old reign of terror and people came out freely to cast their vote.
Police claimed this was the first elections in four decades when polls in this treacherous terrain did not carry the footprint of bandits. Chiktrakoot’s rogue’s gallery has names of several slain dacoits who unleashed an uninterrupted reign of terror since Independence. They include Shiv Kumar alias, Ambika Patel alias Thokia alias Doctor and others, who influenced the outcome of elections through diktats.
However, UP police eliminated Dadua in July 22, 2007, gunned down Ambika Patel alias Thokia on August 4, 2008, shot Sundar Lalalias Ramsiya Patel on December 24, 2011, Sudesh Patel alias Balkharia on July15, 2015 and Baluli Kol and Lovlesh Kol on September 15, 2019, in the hilly areas straddling Uttar Pradesh and Madhy Pradesh.
Manikpur resident Vikas Gupta said, “There was great excitement among voters especially over 2,000 first time voters who lined up to cast their franchise”. He added that the contest was sharp between BJP-Apna Dal (S) alliance and Samajwadi Party (SP) candidates on duo assembly seats of the district.
After the elimination of Gauri Yadav, voters in hilly Patha area also came out in large numbers to cast their votes.
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