Voters defy Naxals with huge turn out in Chhattisgarh

In Chhattisgarh, the first phase of polling is underway. Polling is being held in 18 constituencies of Maoist affected areas of the state today. The Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat said, “Polls being held in 2 phases to provide special security in these 18 constituencies.These 18 areas are kept in 1st phase so that paramilitary forces remain fresh.” He further added, “Nearly 900 polling personnel have been air-dropped from helicopters so that they can reach safely. Over 16,500 polling personnel went by-road.”

The election commission has done everything to ensure peaceful conduct of the elections in Maoist hit areas of the state and the voters are also showing great enthusiasm in these areas. Till 11 am, 16.24% voter turnout has been recorded. People have defied the diktats of Naxals and have come out in large numbers to exercise their right to vote and to participate in the democratic process.

According to the ANI, polling began late due to technical reasons at 53 polling stations. However, things went smoothly at remaining 4277 polling stations with long queues outside.

According to the Firstpost report, Voters were queued-up in large numbers at booth No. 101 at Sankanpalli in Bijapur district. Bijapur is a Maoist stronghold and recently the Naxals there blew up a mine protected vehicle as a result of which four CRPF Jawans lost their lives.

CRPF jawans have been helping differently-abled voters to reach the polling booth in Dhondra and Maraiguda.

People came out in large numbers to cast their votes in Naxal-affected Manpur’s Pardoni village where Naxal posters & banners asking people to boycott elections had been seen.

Voters also queued up outside polling booths in the interior areas of Kistaram, Palem and Bejji in Maoist-affected Sukma district.

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Till 11:26 am, Rajnandgaon recorded 39% turnout, Keshkal 26%, Konta 19% and Bastar 17%.

Earlier On November 11, a day before first phase of polling, Maoists carried out two incidents of violence. On Sunday, One BSF soldier was martyred as Maoists triggered six IED blasts in Kanker district. It was the fourth IED blast triggered by Naxals in Chhattisgarh in last 15 days. They are doing all this in order to subvert the electoral process. As Naxals are against the Democratic set-up, during election season they carry out mindless killings, bomb blasts, burn polling stations and destroy infrastructure required to set up polling stations etc. 

On the first day of 2009 Lok Sabha elections the Naxals killed 17 people: five election officials died in a landmine explosion in Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh; a bus carrying Border Security Force personnel on election duty was attacked in Latehar, Jharkhand killing nine; and in Gaya, Bihar, two police were shot outside a polling booth, electronic voting machines were stolen, and four election officials were kidnapped.

Naxals believe, “Parliament is an instrument of oppression and terror in the hands of the reactionary ruling classes, Boycott the parliamentary election! Advance the people’s war to establish organs of genuine people’s revolutionary-democratic power!! (sic).”

Like every time during elections, this year too the Naxals issued diktats to people to boycott elections. One of the pamphlets accessed by the Economic Times in jungles of Bastar region reads, “Desi Videshi Corporate gharana prastha va brahmanya Hindutva fasiwadi Bhajpa ko mar bhagao. Vote mangane ane wale anya sansadi dalo ko jan adalat ke katghare me khada karo (throw out indigenous and foreign corporate houses friendly and Brahminical Hindutva fascist BJP. Bring the rest of the political parties to people’s court).”

Another pamphlet issued by the CPI (Maoists) reads, “Farzi Chhattisgarh Vidhan Sabha ka Chunao ka Bahiskar karo. Jantana Sarkar ko majboot karenge unka vistar karenge. Janyudhya ko tej karke, daman yojna-samadhan ko harayenge (Boycott fake Chhattisgarh Vidhan Sabha election. Strengthen and expand people’s government. Speed up people’s war to defeat the oppressive regime).”

Naxals resort to inhumane ways of torturing people who exercise their voting rights. If they see ink-mark on voter’s finger, it is simply chopped off. In the last Chhattisgarh polls, the voters in Naxal prone area wanted to vote but without ink. This time too there is buzz about Naxals issuing threats to villagers that their hands will be chopped off if ink appears on fingers.

However, people didn’t pay any heed to diktats of Naxals and are coming out in large numbers to exercise their voting rights even in the worst Naxal affected areas. This not only shows the decline in the impact of Naxals in these areas due to the continued crackdown by the security forces but it also is an assertion of faith by the people in the security forces.  

The Security forces are working day and night to ensure free, fair and safe conduct of elections in areas prone to Naxal terror. All the candidates have been provided with adequate security. Security forces with full preparedness have been deployed in the state. The state government also carried out awareness campaigns asking people to come out and vote in large numbers.