Amid Naxal violence, Chhattisgarh recorded a provisional turnout of around 71 per cent in the first phase of assembly polls, while Mizoram over 77 per cent on Tuesday.
The polling was carried out under the thick security blanket of police and paramilitary personnel in Naxalite-hit Bastar division. Nearly 1 lakh security personnel were deployed for the first phase of polls.
Till 5 pm 70.87 per cent voter turnout was recorded. According to officials, the figure might go up after numbers arrive from far-away districts.
Of the 20 seats for which polling was held, 12 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes.
A total of 223 candidates, including 25 women, were in the fray. As per data, 40,78,681 voters were eligible to exercise their franchise in the first phase.
In the previous assembly polls, a voter turnout of 76.47 per cent was recorded on 18 seats in the first phase. This time, two more constituencies were included in the first phase.
Meanwhile, incidents of violence were reported from Sukma, Narayanpur, Bijapur and Kanker districts.
In a clash between security forces and Naxalites, four security personnel got injured in the Sukma district. Reportedly, a CRPF commando sustained injuries in an IED blast near Tondamarka camp in Sukma.
As Bastar division is going into polls for the first time, residents of 126 villages took part in the polling.
The second phase of polling for the remaining 70 assembly segments will be held on November 17. The highest number of contestants is in Rajnandgaon (29) and the lowest -- seven each -- in Chitrakot and Dantewada seats, polls officials said.
Mizoram records over 77 pc turnout
As the polling end, Mizoram recorded a turnout of over 77 per cent with 8.57 lakh voters exercising their franchise. According to officials, the polling went quite peaceful.
The voting percentage is likely to touch 80 as final report is yet to come from far-away districts, said officials.
According to the Election Commission data at 6pm, 77.39 per cent voter turnout was recorded.
In the 2018 state polls, the overall voter turnout was 81.61 per cent.
Polling in all the 1,276 polling stations was peaceful, the official said.
Of the 11 districts, central Mizoram's Serchhip recorded the highest polling percentage of 84.49, followed by Hnahthial (84.16) and Khawzawl (82.39).
Aizawl district witnessed the lowest turnout of 73.09 per cent. As per Election Commission of India (ECI) data, South Mizoram's Siaha (76.41) and Saitual (75.12) also posted lower voting percentages compared to others.
The ruling Mizo National Front (MNF), main opposition Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) and the Congress have fielded candidates in all 40 seats. The BJP is contesting 23 constituencies, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has nominated candidates in four assembly segments. Besides, there are 27 independent candidates.
In the 2018 polls, the MNF had won 26 of the 40 seats, securing two more in subsequent bypolls, while the opposition ZPM had won eight constituencies, relegating Congress, which had bagged five assembly segments, to third place. The BJP had opened its account in the Christian-majority state, winning one seat.
Expressing confidence, Chief Minister Zoramthanga, who is also the president of MNF, said his party will bag at least 25 seats.
(With PTI inputs)