Voting in first phase of Chhattisgarh Assembly election ends

Raipur : Voting in the first phase of Chhattisgarh Assembly polls for 18 constituencies spread across eight Maoist-affected districts ended on Monday, with nearly 65 per cent of the electorate exercising their franchise.

Polling in 10 constituencies -- Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur, Konta, Mohla-Manpur, Antagarh, Bhanupratappur, Kanker, Keshkal and Kondagaon -- started at 7 a.m. and ended at 3 p.m.

Voting at Khairagarh, Dongargarh, Rajnandgaon, Dongargaon, Khujji, Bastar, Jagdalpur and Chitrakot, where polling started an hour later, ended at 5 p.m.

The poll panel said the turnout stood at nearly 65 per cent at 3 p.m.