Bastar: Chhattisgarh Deputy CM Vijay Sharma visited Jagdalpur on Sunday, February 23 and spoke about the local elections being conducted in the interior areas. He expressed pride that local body elections were held for the first time in about 100 places, emphasising the importance of re-establishing the Indian Constitution in these regions.
“Whatever it is, it is a matter of joy that for the first time, local elections are being held in about 100 places and are being held fairly. In the previous places where the people were shifted to Silger last time, polling is being held there this time. Our Indian Constitution is being reestablished there. It is a matter of joy,” said Chhattisgarh Deputy CM Sharma.
Highlighting the change occurring in the interiors of Bastar, the Dy CM in a post on social media earlier wrote “Today is a historic day for Bastar. Residents of Puvarti village which was home to notorious Maoist Hidma and a extremely sensitive village are voting for the first time since independence. This is the new dawn of change. Bastar is changing.”
“आज का दिन ऐतिहासिक है बस्तर के लिए”
सुकमा जिले का पूवर्ती गाँव, जो पहले कुख्यात नक्सली हिड़मा का गृह क्षेत्र तथा अति संवेदनशील गांव था, आज़ादी के बाद पूवर्ती के ग्रामवासियों ने पहली बार मतदान किया।
यह बदलाव की नई सुबह है, बस्तर बदल रहा है!
माननीय प्रधानमंत्री श्री नरेंद्र… pic.twitter.com/m12NYChmAP
— Vijay sharma (@vijaysharmacg) February 23, 2025
Sharma further reiterated that under the guidance of Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai the “dark shadow of Naxalism is disappearing from Bastar”.
It is to be noted that voting took place at a number of extremely sensitive areas of Bastar for the first time since independence. Booths were set up at several sensitive villages including the infamous Puvarti village under Konta block, a stronghold of Maoists, where the security forces established a tactical headquarters in 2024 only.
Voting exercise was also conducted for the first time in Dantewada’s Muler and Kasturmeta of Abujhmad, an erstwhile stronghold of Maoists. Similar scenes were witnessed at Maoist-hit Kerlapenda village of Sukma where the residents casted their votes for the first time since Independence on Sunday.
#WATCH | Sukma: In the third phase of the Chhattisgarh Panchayat Elections, the citizens of Kerlapenda village cast their vote for the first time after Independence. (23.02) pic.twitter.com/WMtTYycGZV
— ANI (@ANI) February 23, 2025
The development marks a significant moment for the villagers, who had never been part of the electoral process before. One resident of Kerlapenda shared, “I have voted for the first time. We had never voted before.”
Another resident said that the election was the first time the villagers got a chance to raise their demands in front of the political leaders.
“Voting is taking place after 75 years here. People from the nearby villages are also reaching out to cast their votes. I am happy that we will move towards development. This is the first time we got a chance to raise our demands in front of the leaders,” he told ANI.
#WATCH | Sukma, Chhattisgarh: "… Voting is taking place after 75 years here. People from the nearby villages are also reaching out to cast their votes… I am happy that we will move towards development. This is the first time we would get a chance to raise our demands in front… pic.twitter.com/1GbNCXvelP
— ANI (@ANI) February 23, 2025
This development follows similar positive trends in the second phase of the Panchayat Elections on February 20, where residents of once insurgency-hit areas in Bijapur district also participated enthusiastically.
The residents of villages falling under the National Park area in the district, which is considered the safest zone for Maoists, registered their enthusiastic participation in the festival of democracy.
“By using their own resources, people reached here by covering around 70 km and registering their active participation in the elections. As compared to their previous time polling percentage rises as people realise the importance of exercising their voting right,” said polling sector officer Yalam Shankar.
Similar scenes were witnessed on February 17 with around 75 per cent of voters exercising their franchise in the first phase of Panchayat polls including from all the seven districts of Maoist-hit Bastar where voting concluded without any disturbance.
The turnout of voters holds significance as this is said to be the first time ever that no boycott calls were given by the Maoist outfit notorious for issuing such decrees, barring the residents to participate in elections.
Significant voter’s turnout was recorded in the Manpur block, an area notorious for Maoist activities, in Pusnaar village of Bijapur, a core insurgency-hit area and Kulhari Ghat of Gariaband where a fierce encounter took placed recently.
Impressive turnout of voters was also recorded in Bastar’s Darbha block, Sukma block, Dantewada block, Bijapur and Geedam block, all Maoist-affected areas since decades.
Notably, the election commission had set up over 100 booths in sensitive areas for three phases of Panchayat polls in the state. Sixty such booths in sensitive areas and 25 in extremely sensitive places were set up in Sukma district alone that including in villages where elections were to be held after a notable gap of four decades.
Hailing the impressive turnout of voters in the Panchayat polls in Maoist-hit areas, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai earlier remarked that “In Bastar division, ballot is now being used instead of bullet. After many years the villagers there voted fearlessly in the Panchayat elections.
“This is the first time that there was no protest against the Panchayat elections in Maoist-affected areas. It is the result of the efforts of our good governance government that Maoism is coming to an end and the victory flag of democracy is flying high,” he added.
बस्तर संभाग में अब बुलेट की जगह बैलेट का जोर चल रहा है। वर्षों बाद वहां के ग्रामीणों ने निर्भय होकर पंचायत चुनाव में मतदान किया।
पहली बार ऐसा हुआ है कि नक्सल प्रभावित क्षेत्रों में पंचायत चुनाव का कोई विरोध नहीं हुआ। यह हमारी सुशासन सरकार के प्रयासों का परिणाम है कि नक्सलवाद का… pic.twitter.com/ZPZ6SRKVyv
— Vishnu Deo Sai (@vishnudsai) February 18, 2025
Notably, a total of 40 security camps were erected by the forces in the Maoist affected areas of Bastar in last two year alone, instilling a sense of security among the residents who were earlier reluctant in participating in elections due to boycott calls given by the outlawed group, often resulting in poor turnout of voters.
(With inputs from agencies)
