Turnout in Bastar,Rajnandgaon revised to 72.8

Polling in Maoist areas of Bastar and Rajnandgaon has now touched a record 72.8 per cent,as against the Mondays estimate of 67 per cent. As polling parties returned from interior areas some of them are still to reach the Election Commission on Tuesday evening revised the figures and noted that several constituencies recorded much higher polling percentage than initially believed.

The percentage in Antagarh,for instance,was revised from 58 to 76.7 per cent. The turnout in Bastar constituency,pegged at 60 per cent on Monday,was revised at 82.7 per cent. According to the latest estimates,nine or half of the 18 seats that voted on Monday registered over 80 per cent polling,five crossed 72 per cent,with three of them recording 79.96,79 and 78 per cent.

Even Bijapur that was pegged at 24 per cent,now touched 41 per cent.

The EC noted that the figure can still go up after the remaining polling parties return on Wednesday. The Chhattisgarh police has termed the election historic. All seven districts of Bastar and Rajnandgaon are among the 26 severely Maoist-hit districts. Of the 18 seats,12 are in Bastar and 6 in Rajnandgaon.