Raipur, November 11: Polling for the first phase including 18 of 90 seats in Chhattisgarh- all in Maoist-hit areas, will be held on Monday while the rest will go to vote on November 20. Ahead of the polls, security has been beefed up across the state so that people can cast their votes without any fear. The counting of votes will take place on December 11. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is eyeing a fourth straight term to come in power in the state as the opposition Congress seeks to return to power after 15 years. Reports inform that stakes are very high for the saffron party on these 18 seats as it had lost 12 of them in the last polls held in 2013.

On Monday, the constituencies that will go to poll include Khairagarh, Dongargarh (SC), Rajnandgaon, Dongargaon, Khujji, Mohla-Manpur (ST), Antagarh (ST), Bhanupratappur (ST), Kanker (ST), Keshkal (ST), Kondagaon (ST), Narayanpur (ST), Bastar (ST), Jagdalpur, Chitrakot (ST), Dantewada (ST), Bijapur (ST) and Konta (ST). It must be noted that of these, 12 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST) and one for Scheduled Caste (SC) category. Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections 2018 Full Schedule And Dates: Polling in 2 Phases, November 12 & 20.

In the second phase, which will be held on November 20, the remaining 72 seats in Chhattisgarh, which has a 90-member assembly will go to poll.  According to a report by ANI, as many as 4,336 polling booths have been set up for the first phase in Chhattisgarh. There are 31,79,520 voters, including 16,21,839 males, 15,57,592 females and 89 of the third gender. Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections 2018: PM Narendra Modi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi to Hold Rallies & Roadshows in Poll Bound State.

In the run-up to the Assembly Elections in the state which are due this month, political parties have left no stone unturned to woo voters. BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, Yogi Adityanath and others campaigned for the saffron party while Congress president Rahul Gandhi had held five rallies and a road show while campaigning for the first phase of the Assembly polls.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 11, 2018 08:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).