RANCHI: Once a Maoist stronghold, 760-odd voters of ‘Hesatu’ village located in ‘Budha Pahar’ region, comprising Palamu and Chatra Lok Sabha constituencies, will vote for the first time in their own village after more than three decades.
Interestingly, most of the villagers have got to see their voter ID cards for the first time.
Earlier, polling booths at the village were relocated to a distance due to security reasons, but after more than three decades, the district administration has decided not to relocate it, on the request of locals.
Despite the claims of Jharkhand police that Budha Pahar has been freed from Maoists, four of the five polling stations, except Hesatu, will be shifted to safer locations.
Officials, however, claimed that Budha Pahar has been made absolutely free from all kinds of Maoist activities, due to which the people are quite excited and will vote fearlessly.
“Hesatu is a polling station in Budha Pahar area, which was being relocated for the last three decades due to security reasons, but this time, on people’s insistence, it was decided not to relocate the polling station so that 760 voters could exercise their franchise fearlessly in their village itself,” said Garhwa DC Shekhar Jamuar.
Despite logistic problems, the district administration is making all-out efforts for uninterrupted voting, he added.
According to Jamuar, the decision preceded several meetings with the villagers. District administrative and senior security officials are also encouraging the villagers to participate actively in the democratic process, he said.
Locals informed that the voter IDs of the villagers in Jhaludera, Baheratoli, Tisiya and Navatoli, located atop Budha Pahar, were made for the first time, whereas voting will be held for the first time in the areas of Kulhi, Hesatu and Navatoli.
They said the atmosphere has definitely changed for the better in the last three decades. “We have to cross jungles and hillocks to exercise our franchise. Therefore, arrangements must be made to ensure voting facilities in their own villages,” said a local requesting anonymity.
Spread across a 3 km radius with nearly 130 households, Hesatu is located 25 km away from sub-district headquarters Bhandaria and 93 km away from district headquarters in Garhwa.
Earlier, voters were also reluctant to vote due to the dominance of Maoists, but this time the people are quite excited.
Notably, Budha Pahar, spread over a 55 sq km area, was freed from Maoists’ control on October 23, 2023, after 33 years following three coordinated operations by the security forces since April 2022.