Maoists attack poll booth, burn voting machines in Orissa

October 15th, 2009 NAGPUR - Suspected Maoists fired at a polling booth Thursday during re-poll in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district, police said. Additional Superintendent of Police M.K.

June 18th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Congress general secretary in charge of the party's affairs in Orissa Ghulam Nabi Azad Thursday alleged "manipulation" of electronic voting machines (EVMs) had led to the party's defeat in the assembly and parliamentary elections in the state. "EVMs were manipulated during the poll which resulted in defeat of many Congress candidates," Azad said in a press conference here.

May 13th, 2009 CHENNAI - All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) chief J. Jayalalithaa on Wednesday complained about poll rigging at a booth in Chennai.

May 13th, 2009 CHENNAI - Though there were feelers from many places, AIADMK general secretary J. Jayalalitha said Wednesday she would wait till the election results were out before she chalked out her next move.

May 7th, 2009 LUCKNOW - Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh had an argument with a poll official in Uttar Pradesh's Mainpuri constituency after his bodyguards were stopped from entering the polling booth alongwith him. The former chief minister, who has Z plus security, got angry when an election official at the polling station in Saifai locality, said that as per the norms only one person could accompany him into the booth.

May 2nd, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - The Election Commission Saturday ordered re-polling in 25 voting centres in Orissa, officials said. The polling will take place Tuesday from 7 a.m.

April 30th, 2009 AHMEDABAD - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in charge of recording turnout at booth number 124 of Amraiwadi locality in Maninagar constituency during the Lok Sabha polls underway Thursday, a party source said. As per tradition, BJP workers are put on poll duty at various booths to record the turnout of voters and report to their seniors after voting ends.

April 24th, 2009 MUZAFFARPUR - Five policemen were killed when Maoists triggered a landmine blast on a vehicle carrying a police patrolling party in Bihar's Muzaffarpur District late on Thursday. Five policemen died on the spot while the vehicle driver was reported as seriously injured.

April 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - At least 17 people were killed as Maoist guerrillas targeted polling officials and security personnel across four insurgency hit states, giving a violent start to India's general elections. The states that were hit were Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Orissa, amongst the 17 states and union territories conducting elections in the first phase, where Maoists tried to implement their poll boycott in a hail of bullets and blasts.

April 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Nine security personnel were among 11 people killed as Maoists attacked polling centres and government vehicles in four states Thursday, giving a violent start to India's general elections. Seven Border Security Force (BSF) personnel were killed in Jharkhand in a single attack while a policeman and a Home Guard were killed in adjoining Bihar, officials said.

April 16th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Maoists atacked four polling stations in Orissa in the first hours of voting Thursday. Around nine percent voter turnout was reported in Orissa during the first two hours, officials said.

April 16th, 2009 PATNA - Two security personnel - a policeman and a home guard - were killed as Maoists attacked a polling station in Bihar's Gaya district Thursday as voting was underway in the first phase of general elections, police said. Voting has been suspended at the station.

April 16th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Voting for the first phase of general and assembly elections began in Orissa Thursday amid a boycott call by Maoists and tight security measures, officials said. Polling started at 7 a.m.

April 16th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Maoist rebels attacked at least four polling stations and set fire to several electronic voting machines (EVMs) and a vehicle in Orissa while voting for the first phase of general and assembly elections was underway Thursday, police said. 'The rebels attacked four polling booths - three in Malkangiri district and one in Sundergarh district.

April 16th, 2009 BHUBANESWAR - Hundreds of villagers in two Orissa districts Thursday stayed away from the elections due to the poll-boycott threat by Maoists who attacked four polling stations and burnt several voting machines during the first phase of ballotting in the state, officials said. Maoists gave a call to boycott polls across the state and even threatened to chop off the hands of people who go to cast their votes.