ELECTIONS '98 COMMENTARY
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Congress candidate arrested, Kamal Nath's copter seized

The arrest of a Congress candidate, an order to seize former Union minister Kamal Nath's helicopter, and looting of ballot boxes by Naxalites were some of the incidents reported during polling in Madhya Pradesh today.

Chief Electoral Officer A K Vijayavargiya told reporters in Bhopal that the Bhind police arrested the Congress nominee for the Mehgaon seat, Hari Singh Navaria, for having opened fire in the air with his 12-bore gun outside a polling station. The motive for the firing was not known.

The CEO said he had issued orders to the Chhindwara district authorities to seize Kamal Nath's helicopter following a report that the Congressman was using it during the polling. A compliance report is awaited, he said.

Vijayavargiya said that according to information received from Bastar's inspector-general of police (Naxalite zone), suspected Naxalites looted a ballot box from a polling station in Konta assembly segment of Dantewara district in the early hours today.

In a pre-poll incident, a zonal officer on election duty snatched ballot papers from the returning officer and tore them in Bhensdehi (scheduled tribe) constituency in Betul district last night. The officer was removed and polling was progressing there, Vijayavargiya said.

Polling was by and large peaceful in the rest of the state, he said.

There was an enthusiastic response, particularly among the rural folk, for the electronic machines installed in five assembly constituencies of Gwalior and Bhopal districts, Vijayavargiya said. The constituencies are Bhopal North, Bhopal South, Gwalior, Lashkar East and Lashkar West.

Assembly Election '98

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