Maha minister praises cops for peaceful Gadchiroli rural polls

Maharashtra Home Minister AnilDeshmukh on Sunday praised Gadchiroli police for ensuring therecent gram panchayat polls in the Naxal-affected districtwent off peacefully with a voter turnout of over 80 per cent.

In a statement issued during the day, Deshmukh saidthe coordination between the police and the district officialsensured polls in 920 booths in 12 talukas were heldsuccessfully last month.

The voter turnout in phase 1 was 82.06 per cent and inphase 2 was 80.01 per cent, such high numbers clearly showingthat people of Gadchiroli had rejected Naxal threats ofviolence and boycott and had displayed their faith in theelectoral process, the release said.

''What is worth appreciating is that women turned outin larger numbers to vote. The turnout among women was 81.19per cent as against 74 per cent for men,'' he added.

Poll authorities had declared 177 booths as hyper-sensitive and 377 as sensitive ones.

Police personnel helped with poll logistics, walkingalmost 1,168 kilometres to reach 181 booths in phase 1, and1,978 kilometres to get to 186 booths in phase 2, whilechoppers were used to transport men and material to 122hyper-sensitive booths, the minister said in his statement.

PTI CLSBNM BNM

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