Chhattisgarh BJP leader hacked to death days before assembly polls

Chhattisgarh BJP leader Ratan Dubey was brutally hacked to death by unidentified Naxalites in Narayanpur district, just three days before the state's first-phase assembly polls scheduled for November 7. Dubey, who served as the BJP's district president in Narayanpur, lost his life while actively campaigning for the party in Kaushalnar village.

According to the local police, the assailants, believed to be Naxalites, attacked and fatally wounded Dubey with a sharp weapon. Law enforcement promptly dispatched a team to the site, launching a manhunt to apprehend those responsible for the heinous crime.

Reacting to the horrifying incident, senior BJP leader Om Mathur expressed his grief, stating, "I am deeply saddened by the brutal murder of Chhattisgarh BJP's Narayanpur Assembly convenor and Narayanpur district vice president, Ratan Dubey ji, by Naxalites during the campaign. The entire party condemns this cowardly incident."

This incident follows a previous attack on a BJP worker, Birju Taram, who was shot dead by suspected Maoists in Sarkheda village, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki district, on October 20.

Narayanpur district is among the 20 Assembly seats where elections are slated to be held on November 7, marking the first phase of polling. The second phase, encompassing the 90-member House, is scheduled for November 17. The electoral process will culminate in the counting of votes on December 3.