The much awaited voting for the first phase of Assembly polls for 20 seats, several of them in Naxal-affected Bastar division, in Chhattisgarh will take place on Tuesday, with poll officials stating that 25,249 personnel have been deployed for the purpose.

As per ANI report, Voting will be held between 7am and 3pm in 10 seats, namely Mohla-Manpur, Antagarh, Bhanupratappur, Kanker, Keshkal, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur and Konta, they said.

Votes will be cast between 8am and 5pm in Khairagarh, Dongargarh, Rajnandgaon, Dongargaon, Khujji, Pandariya and Kawardha Bastar, Jagdalpur and Chitrakot, the officials added

In the first phase, the fate of 223 candidates, including 25 women, will be decided by an estimated 40,78,681 voters, comprising 19,93,937 male, 20,84,675 female and 69 third-gender persons. As many as 5304 polling booths have been set up for the first phase.

A release issued from the office of the state’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said 25,429 polling personnel have been deployed for the first phase of polls.

“A total of 156 poll parties have been sent to Sukma, Bijapur, Dantewada, Kanker and Narayanpur districts on board helicopters, while 5,148 polling teams have been sent to respective booths by buses. Of the 5,304 booths, web casting facility will be available in 2431,” the release said.

A senior police official said 60,000 security personnel, including 40,000 from Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), have been deployed for smooth conduct of polls in 12 constituencies of Naxal-hit Bastar division.

Of the 20 seats, 12 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes and one for the Scheduled Caste category. The highest number of contestants is in Rajnandgaon constituency (29) while the lowest number of candidates is seven each in Chitrakot and Dantewada seats, polls officials said.

The Congress holds 19 of these 20 seats, including two it won in bypolls. In the 2018 Assembly polls, the Congress had won 17 of these 20 seats, the BJP two and the Janata Congress Chhattisgarh one.

Polling will begin at 8 AM tomorrow amid a thick blanket of security. The Chhattisgarh police has deployed 60,000 security personnel who will be deployed in the sensitive Bastar region which has 12 Assembly segments. According to police, more than 600 polling booths fall under in areas of the Naxal-hit Bastar division, which will vote  in the first phase of Chhattisgarh assembly elections.