Bijapur: Sending a strong message of having trust in democracy, the residents of villages falling under the National Park area in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, which is considered a safest zone for insurgents and the place wherein security forces have recently gunned down 31 cadres of the banned outlawed organisation CPI (Maoists), registered their enthusiastic participation in the festival of democracy.
Hundreds of potential voters from as many as five villages under the National Park area, including Sendra village, one of the worst insurgency-hit Bijapur district, have expressed their confidence on ballots instead of bullets and exercised their voting rights in the second phase of three-tier panchayat election on Thursday, February 20.
By covering around 70 kilometres, the villagers displayed their confidence in democracy by ignoring the red terror.
By covering tough terrain that includes dense forests, rivers and rivulets, the voters (including elderly persons) reached Bhopalpatnam to exercise their voting rights. By participating in this festival of democracy, the villagers not only expressed confidence in democracy but also displayed their desire to become a part of mainstream development.
“We want employment opportunities, road connectivity, electricity, pension and other basic facilities from the government,” said Kawre Shankar, a resident of restive village, after casting his vote.
“By using their own resources, people reached here by covering around 70 km and registering their active participation in the elections. As compared to their previous time polling percentage rises as people realise the importance of exercising their voting right,” said polling sector officer Yalam Shankar.
It may be recalled that 31 cadres of the banned organisation were gunned down by security forces in an encounter that took place in forests of the National Park area in Bijapur district recently.
Significantly an impressive turnout of voters were recorded in the first phase of Panchayat elections in south Bastar area, a core Maoist zone held on February 17. Similar turnout of voters was also recorded on Thursday with around 77 per cent voters turnout recorded in state. Voters turnout is likely to be continued in similar pattern for the final phase on February 23.
It is worth mentioning here that the election commission has set up hundreds of booths in extremely sensitive areas for three phases of Panchayat polls.. Sixty such booths in sensitive areas and 25 in extremely sensitive places were set up in Sukma district that includes villages where elections are to be held after a notable gap of four decades. Taking it further the commission has also setup around 50 booths in sensitive areas of Bijapur.
(With inputs from ANI)
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