Down, But Not Out

Despite their dwindling presence, Maoists could still influence poll results in the red corridor.

- Deepak Tiwari

OF THE 90 ELECTED members of the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly, 29 represent seats reserved for scheduled tribes. Interestingly, most of these constituencies lie in areas affected by Maoist insurgency. In the first phase of the two-phased assembly elections, 18 constituencies would go to the polls on November 12. All of them have been marked as “Naxal-affected” by the Election Commission.

But, for the first time in the past three decades, Maoists are on the defensive. Thanks to their sustained operations over the past four years, security forces have been able to restrict Maoists to certain pockets. “Our troops have extended their operations to the interiors of Abujhmarh and south Bastar,” said D.M. Awasthi, additional director general of police. “If they try to influence the poll through violence, we will hunt them down. We are prepared for any offensive that is required for free and fair polls.”

The Maoists may be down, but they are not completely out. On October 31, they killed two security personnel and a Doordarshan cameraman in an ambush in Dantewada district. The death of the journalist saw the Maoists later expressing regret.

The central committee of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) have instructed cadres to kill leaders of the ruling BJP. It has also demanded that leaders of the opposition Congress and the CPI be tried in janadalats (people’s courts).