The polling in Bastar on Thursday was considered a success as it saw a 52 per cent turnout - a figure considered high for such a troubled area.The next phase will see Kanker, Rajnandgaon and Mahasamund constituencies, which also have a strong Maoist presence, going to the polls on September 17.Sources said that after the peaceful polls in Bastar, where the rebels could not strike due to heavy security deployment, intelligence inputs were pouring in about Maoists mobilising for big strikes."They want to terrorise voters before the next phase of polling. Their intentions are clear - they want to disrupt the election but we have adequate forces on the ground to ensure they cannot target polling booths," said a home ministry official.The most notorious areas of the 'Red Zone' went to polls on April 10 but there are at least six more constituencies in the Maoist strongholds of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, which will witness balloting on September 17 and 24.In the past week, 18 people, including 10 security personnel, have died in Maoist attacks in Chhattisgarh and Bihar.On Saturday, Maoists attacked election personnel near Ketulnar village of Bijapur district when they were returning from poll duty at around 11 am.The rebels triggered a landmine and blew up the bus they were travelling in. This was followed by indiscriminate firing.In Darbha area of Sukma district, the rebels targeted an ambulance carrying CRPF personnel.Sources said a violation of standard operating procedures had come to light yet again as the troops hopped onto an ambulance that was passing by.The rebels, who have been planting landmines to target security forces, were apparently tracking the jawans and triggered the blast.The troops were returning to their base after sanitising an area for a polling party.A court of inquiry has been initiated to investigate the attack in Sukma.Last month, 15 security personnel were caught in an ambush and gunned down by Maoists in the same area.Despite their grand plans, the Maoists failed to strike in Bastar ahead of polling there. More than 25,000 security personnel were deployed after 80 per cent of polling stations in the area were classified as 'highly sensitive'.The Bastar area, which includes Maoist dens in Sukma, Dantewada, Bijapur and Narayanpur districts, has the maximum number of armed rebels.Keeping this in mind, authorities had decided that only Bastar constituency should go to the polls on April 10.Sources said the rebels could continue to target polling officials to send out a message since they failed to disrupt the election process in Bastar, which witnessed a large turnout despite their boycott call.
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