BJP MLA among 5 killed in Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh

Raipur: A BJP MLA and four others were killed in a major Maoist attack in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, two days ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in the constituency, officials said.

BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi, his driver and three personal security officers were killed when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) went off in Kuakonda area, a forested part of Dantewada district, this evening, they said.

The "meticulously planned attack" was carried out when Mandavi was hurrying to an election meeting just before the close of election campaign at 5 p.m. for the first phase of Lok Sabha polls due on Thursday, the police said.

The vehicle in which the MLA was travelling bore the maximum brunt of the blast, Deputy Inspector General (Anti-Naxal Operations) P Sundar Raj told reporters.

Mandavi was the lone Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Bastar region which accounts for 12 Assembly seats.

This was the first Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh since the Congress assumed power in December last year, ending 15 years of BJP rule in the state.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack and said the sacrifices of the deceased will not go in vain.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel cancelled his election meetings and rushed to his office for a meeting with senior police and intelligence officers after the attack.