Raipur:
Nearly 55 per cent voters in 72 constituencies across 19 districts of Chhattisgarh exercised their franchise till 3 pm today in the second and last phase of Assembly polls even as a man was killed in an alleged accidental firing by a CRPF personnel at a polling booth.
"Around 55 per cent polling was recorded in 72 constituencies of 19 districts till 3 PM," Joint Chief
Electoral Officer DD Singh told PTI.
A man was killed and another injured in an alleged accidental firing by a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel at Bhindarwani polling booth of Saja constituency in Bemetara district this afternoon, he said.
Polling was withheld for about half-an-hour after the incident and later it resumed, he said.
According to state DGP Ram Niwas, the incident took place when five drunk people reached Bhindarwani village and started arguing with a CRPF personnel who was on duty at the polling booth.
During the verbal spate, bullets accidentally went off from the rifle of the paramilitary personnel and hit the men, leaving one dead and another injured.
"The injured was admitted to Durg hospital," the DGP said, adding, the body of the deceased has been brought to Raipur for postmortem.
A magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the incident and the CRPF man has been removed from duty, he said.
A total of 843 candidates are contesting with an electorate of 1,39,75,470 in the last of the two-phase polls to the 90-member Assembly in the state where BJP government, led by Chief Minister Raman Singh, is eyeing for a hat-trick against the Congress.
Governor Shekhar Dutt, Chief Minister Raman Singh, Assembly Speaker Dharamlal Kaushik and Leader of Opposition in Assembly Ravindra Choubey exercised their franchise in their respective constituencies.
Governor Dutt cast his vote in Raipur city north seat where BJP's Srichand Sundarani and Congress' sitting MLA Kuldeep Singh Juneja are in a close contest.
Raman Singh voted at his hometown which falls in Kawardha constituency. On the seat, BJP has denied ticket to its sitting MLA and given opportunity to Ashok Sahu while Congress has pitted its senior leader Mohammad Akbar.