UPDATE 2-Two killed as Maoist violence hits India state poll

(Updates with death of air force official)

By Sujeet Kumar

RAIPUR, India, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Suspected Maoist insurgents triggered landmine blasts and opened fire to scare away voters in elections in a central Indian state on Friday, killing a policeman and an air force official.

Voting in some rural areas came to a halt, and armed rebels blocked roads and snatched electronic voting machines in the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh state, a hotbed of Maoist activism, officials said.

The election in Chhattisgarh is a key test for the Congress party, which is fighting the ruling Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the vote.

One policeman was killed and four others were wounded in two separate landmine blasts triggered by rebels in Bastar.

In Bijapur district, about 500 km (310.7 miles) from state capital Raipur, rebels fired at a helicopter as it was taking off after polling ended, hitting Air Force Sergeant Mustafa Ali in the head and killing him instanteously, senior police official Pawan Deo said.

Rebels also opened fire in 15 different places in the state to scare away voters.

Voting concluded peacefully in other parts of the state, officials said.