RANCHI: For the first time in the last few decades, voting in Jharkhand went without any signs of Maoist threat. In a first in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Maoist strongholds like ‘Budha Pahar’ witnessed bumper voting.
At some places polling were conducted after 20 years, while in others, it took place after three decades. Once a Maoist stronghold, ‘Hesatu’ village, located in ‘Budha Pahar’ region, comprising Palamu and Chatra Lok Sabha constituencies, voted for the first time in their own village after more than three decades. Interestingly, most people living here saw their voter ID cards and exercised their franchise for the first time.
Heavy voting also took place in Mahudand, Lekh Kalapahar, Dagra of Naudiha of Palamu Lok Sabha constituency. Similarly, polling was conducted in many of the villages of Kolhan jungles in Chaibsa after at least two decades as the polling booths used to be relocated to 10-15 km away from the village over security reasons.
“Due to intense anti-Naxal operation being conducted in the region and establishment of CRPF camps in Regdahatu, Tirilpasi and Boroi, voters on at least 20 polling booths exercised their franchise for the first time in the last 20 years,” said Chaibasa SP Ashutosh Shekhar. Earlier, polling booths in these villages used to be relocated due to security reasons, he added.
The SP informed that polling parties were commuted to these villages through helicopters. In some parts of Khunti, largely infested with Maoist outfit PLFI, where polling was boycotted by the villages in 2014-Polls due to ‘Patthalgadi’ Movement in 2014-Polls, also witnessed bumper voting this time. Dumka’s Shikaripara area where it always remained a challenge to conduct polling due to Maoist threat, no Maoist incident was recorded and voting was conducted peacefully.
Police said maximum number of incidents of Maoist violence took place in 2014 elections. In the 2019 polls too, Maoists had blown up BJP offices in Palamu and Kharsawan.