Over 120 Villages in Maoist-affected Bastar to Cast First-Ever Village Votes in Chhattisgarh

Residents of more than 120 interior villages in Chhattisgarh’s Naxalite-hit Bastar region will get the opportunity to vote in their own settlements in the upcoming assembly elections because new polling stations will be set up at these places, which were previously Maoist strongholds, officials said. This will be the first time since independence that residents of these villages will have the opportunity to vote in their own communities.

Prior to this breakthrough, voters from the majority of these villages had to travel eight to ten kilometers, traversing hills and rivulets, in order to cast their vote, which made it impossible for them to actively engage in the electoral process. The authorities are praising the development as the triumph of “ballot over bullet” because of this.

The establishment of additional voting booths in inner pockets, which were before thought to as Naxal bastions, has been seen by officials as evidence of a better security environment and a developing democratic system in the Bastar Region.

On November 7, voters in the first of two phases of elections will choose representatives for the 12 assembly segments that make up Bastar division, which is comprised of seven districts. For the election that will take place on November 7, more than 126 additional polling stations will be set up in the Bastar area. According to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) for the Bastar range, Sundarraj P, the majority of these new voting stations are situated in regions that were before considered to be strongholds for Naxal activity.

“These new polling stations will be narrating the story about the triumph of ‘ballot over bullet’ to the future generations in the Bastar region,” he stated. “It will be a triumphant tale.”

Of the 126 new booths, 15 are located in Kanker assembly constituency, 12 in Antagarh, five in Bhanupratappur (Kanker district), 20 in Konta (Sukma district), 14 in Chitrakot, four in Jagdalpur, one in Bastar (Bastar district), 13 in Kondagaon, 19 in Keshkal (Kondagaon district), nine in Narayanpur, eight in Dantewada and six in Bijapur, he said.

According to what he stated, the establishment of more than 65 new security camps in the area over the course of the last five years has resulted in a significant transformation in the ground situation. This has helped in the process of installing booths in distant villages. This applies to both state police and central armed police forces.

According to the IG, the establishment of these brand-new polling stations is a reflection of the growing democratic system and the improved security environment in Bastar. Officials from the police department have said that in the past, voting booths were unable to be put up in some places because of the challenging topography and the danger posed by Maoists.

Previously, Palo Markam, a tribal woman from Chandameta village, said that in order to cast her vote at Chhindgur village, she was had to go around 8 kilometers across difficult terrain to get there. However, now that she is able to vote in her own community, she is glad about the change.

Polling stations have been established for the very first time in a total of four villages inside the Jagdalpur constituency. One of the villages is Chandameta.

Chandameta is situated at the foot of the Tulsi Dongri hills on the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border. It is around 65 kilometers distant from Jagdalpur, which serves as the administrative center of the Bastar district. In the past, Chandameta was thought of as the fort of Left Wing Extremism (LWE). “In the past, in order to cast our ballot, we were required to go the distance of 8 kilometers to Chhindgur. Because there was no road, the only option was to go on the dirt paths. The construction of the road took place just a year ago. We are overjoyed to have a voting booth right here in our little hamlet. Markam said that his group will cast their vote for “the one who will work for our development.”

Shyam Kawasi, another resident of the hamlet, voiced similar feelings. He said that a number of voters from his area did not take interest in casting their ballots since the polling station was around 8 kilometers distant and there was no road infrastructure.

He went on to say that this time around, the whole of the community is thrilled to take part in the celebration of democracy.

“The residents of Chandameta had submitted a petition to the district administration requesting that their community be provided with a voting place. Following the deployment of security troops to the hamlet over the previous year, the administration of the district moved quickly to begin construction on several development projects there. A road that now connects the community, the school, and the health center was constructed. The community is now through the process of electrification, according to Bastar Collector Vijay Dayaram K.According to him, the majority of the households in Chandameta, which has a total population of 432, had at least one person who was connected to Naxal formations in the region prior to the establishment of the police camp in that location.

On August 15 of the previous year, the tricolor was flown in the village for the first time since the country’s independence. According to him, the villagers would use the newly constructed polling booth to cast their vote for the first time since the country’s independence for the first time in their own hamlet.

He said that there are 290 people registered to vote in the hamlet, with 148 men and 142 women, and added, “We are prepared to hold the election peacefully and successfully.” In the first round of elections in the state that is dominated by the Congress party, voting will take place in eight seats in Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki, Rajnandgaon, Khairgarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai, and Kabirdham districts, as well as twelve constituencies in Bastar division, which is plagued by Naxalite activity. In the second round of voting, which will take place on November 17, the remaining 70 seats will go to the polls. On December 3 we shall begin the process of tallying the votes.