Mumbai: An estimated five to seven per cent of the 6.59 crore electorate today (Oct 13, 2004) exercised their franchise for elections to 288-member Maharashtra Assembly till nine hrs (IST), while the otherwise peaceful polling was marred by a clash between naxalites and police in Southern Gadchiroli in Vidarbha region, leaving one policeman injured.

"Around five to seven per cent of the voters exercised their franchise till nine am across the 35 districts of Maharashtra," the State Election Office sources said.

However, in naxal-infested Gadchiroli, a skirmish between naxals and police team at Binagunda left one policeman injured, police sources said.

An IAF chopper narrowly escaped a grenade attack by naxals at the same place last evening (Oct 12, 2004).

Among the early voters were Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and his wife Ujjawala in Solapur, NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) chief Sharad Pawar in Baramati, BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) general secretary Pramod Mahajan and industrialist Anil Ambani and wife Tina in the State capital.

Bollywood personalities were also not behind with film maker Pooja Bhat and lyricist Gulzar exercising their franchise in Mumbai.

Actor-turned Union Minister Sunil Dutt was among the early voters to cast his ballot.