Polling begins in Chhattisgarh

 Amid tight security, polling began at 7 a.m. on Monday in 10 of the 18 constituencies in the first phase to elect a new Chhattisgarh Assembly, officials said.

The electoral exercise in these 10 constituencies will end at 3 p.m. Polling will take place in eight other places from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday.

The 10 seats where early voting is being held are Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur, Konta, Mohla-Manpur, Antagarh, Bhanupratappur, Kanker, Keshkal and Kondagaon. 

Khairagarh, Dongargarh, Rajnandgaon, Dongargaon and Khujji constituencies in Rajnandgaon district and Bastar, Jagdalpur and Chitrakot in Bastar district will see polling from 8 a.m.

All the 18 constituencies are known as Maoist hubs.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has ruled Chhattisgarh for the past 15 years.-IANS