The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Raipur

Indian security forces battled Maoist rebels in the east of the country Friday as violence marred the start of key state elections seen as a major test for the ruling Congress Party.

Ultra-leftist guerrillas in impoverished Chhattisgarh state bombed a police patrol, injuring three, snatched a ballot box and fired on police and paramilitaries guarding polling stations, officials said.

"The aim is create fear in the minds of people so that they will not come to vote," said a police official who asked not to be named.

Officials in Raipur, the state capital, said 40,000 police and soldiers had been deployed at polling stations.

Large parts of the densely-forested south of Chhattisgarh state are under rebel control and election officials said around half the 8,879 booths have been designated "sensitive" or "hyper-sensitive."

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the Maoists, centred in Chhattisgarh but also active in rural areas across eastern and southern India, as the biggest threat to the country's internal security. India's ruling Congress party, currently the opposition party in the state, has made the Maoist insurgency its major election issue. "Law and order is a major problem. It is an extension of the state being unable to harness youth energies fully. It is the unemployed youth who are major recruits into the Maoist ranks," said Congress spokesman Tom Vadakkan.

Incumbent Chief Minister Raman Singh, of the opposition Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has been luring voters with the promise of cheap rice for all if he wins.

Voting in Chhattisgarh has been split into two stages, with the remaining areas to vote next week.

Five more states-Madhya Pradesh in the centre, revolt-hit Kashmir, the capital Delhi, remote Mizoram in the northeast and the western desert state of Rajasthan-will vote before the end of the year.

The string of state polls come against a backdrop of rising food prices and growing concerns over the impact of the global financial crisis on India's economy-with exports and manufacturing slowing, GDP growth forecasts cut and job losses expected.

They are also seen as a mini-referendum ahead of national polls, which have to be held by May 2009 at the latest.

The BJP governs in three of the states voting but analysts say anti-incumbency sentiment may be offset by anger with the federal government over high inflation.

"The importance of these elections starting with Chhattisgarh is two-fold," said political columnist Neerja Choudhury.

"The results could determine timing of general elections: If the Congress party does well, it could call general elections as early as February.

"On the other hand, if the BJP does manage to beat the anti-incumbency factor and does well, it will emerge as a strong alternative to the coalition present government," she said.

A supporter of Sonia Gandhi, president of ruling Congress party, awaits her arrival on the last day of election campaigning in Mumbai, October 11, 2004.