Chhattisgarh polls: Residents of 126 villages in Bastar vote in new booths for the first time

For the first time in independent India, residents of 126 villages in Chhattisgarh’s left wing extremism-affected Bastar division got to vote at polling stations in the vicinity of their homes. Until 2018, they had had to endure an arduous trek through dense forests, hills and rivers to cast their franchise, while also fearing a backlash from Maoists who would invariably call for a poll boycott. On Tuesday, the 20 assembly constituencies in LWE-hit areas of Chhattisgarh and Mizoram that went to polls recorded an impressive turnout of 71.1% and 77.8% respectively.