In Chhattisgarh, polling is progressing in 18 constituencies in the first phase of assembly elections. Among them in 13 Maoist affected assembly segments polling began at 0700 hours while in remaining five constituencies balloting started at 8 AM.

An estimated 20 to 25 per cent of more than 29 lakh electorate have exercised their franchise in the first four hours of balloting even as the Maoists indulged in stray incidents of violence to disrupt the polling in some parts of tribal Bastar region. Incidents of Maoists attacking polling parties at some of the polling stations have come in from Kanker district in Bastar division while security forces and Maoists are engaged in a gun battle near Mankeli in Bijapur constituency. In an indiscriminate firing by Maoist on Durgapur polling station of Kanker district one Special Task Force jawan is injured. There are reports about Maoists ransacking Koilibeda polling station in Kanker, assaulting a poll official and taking away electronic voting machines. Security forces also recovered live bombs planted by Maoists near some polling stations of Dantawada, Kanker and Bijapur district

Twelve out of 18 constituencies in which polling is going on, are in Maoist affected tribal bastar division and the remaining six are in Rajnandgaon district. Out of these, twelve seats are reserved for the scheduled tribes while one seat is reserved for scheduled castes.