New Delhi, Apr 16 (PTI) Naxals struck in a big way in Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Orissa killing 18 people, including five poll officials and ten security personnel, as moderate to brisk voting was reported across 15 states and two union territories on the first day of polling for Lok Sabha elections .
Shortly after voting began this morning, naxals detonated a landmine targeting a bus ferrying Border Security Force personnel in Latehar district in Jharkhand in which five personnel and two civilians were killed.
Naxalites blew up a vehicle carrying poll officials in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district, killing five of them and injuring two others, police said.
Polling booths were set on fire and there was exchange of fire between the naxals and the security forces in Dandewada and Narainpur areas in the state that left two CRPF jawan dead and five others injured in Maruki in Dandewada, about 350 kms from Raipur.
Voting which began on a sedate note in 124 constituencies this morning picked up during the day. Today's election will decide among others the fate of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, BJP's Murli Manohar Joshi and Yashwant Sinha and TRS president K Chandrasekar Rao. There are 1,715 candidates in the fray.
PTI
