A full team of the Election Commission will be on a two-day visit to Chhattisgarh from Thursday for an on-the-spot assessment of poll preparedness in the Naxal-hit state.
The team of Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath and Election Commissioners H S Brahma and Nasim Zaidi will meet representatives of various political parties in Raipur besides poll officials of the state. The EC officials will assess the situation in the state, especially in the Naxal-affected tribal areas. Chhattisgarh goes to polls by the end of the year to elect its 90-member new assembly.
The tenure of the assembly expires on January 4, 2014 and poll process has to be completed before that. This will be the first meeting of the poll Commission in the state. Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Mizoram will also go to polls by this year end. The poll panel is evolving a strategy to ensure large participation of tribals in the elections. Poll officials in Chhattisgarh are also keen on increasing participation of tribals, but are apprehensive of Naxal attacks ahead or during the assembly elections.
A number of Congress leaders and workers, including former Union Minister V C Shukla, died after a Naxal attack in May during an election rally in the state. There are almost 1.63 crore voters in the state. The ruling BJP won 50 seats in the last assembly election, while Congress won 38 and Bahujan Samaj Party two seats.
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