Residents of several remote villages in Chhattisgarh's Bastar Lok Sabha constituency turned out to vote on Friday in a display of defiance against Maoist calls for a poll boycott.
However, in Puvarti village, the ancestral home of notorious Naxalite leader Hidma, residents chose to abstain from the electoral process.
Puvarti, situated in Sukma district bordering Bijapur, stands as a stronghold for Maoists, with Hidma being implicated in numerous lethal attacks on security forces across the Bastar region.
Despite a voter turnout of 67.56 percent in the Bastar Lok Sabha seat, Puvarti remained conspicuously absent from the electoral fray.
According to Java Patel, the Booth Level Officer of Puvarti polling booth, none of the village's 332 registered voters exercised their franchise.
Fear is believed to have played a significant role in the villagers' decision to refrain from voting.
The polling booth designated for Puvarti residents, located in Silger village some 20-25 kilometers away, saw a turnout of 31 voters from neighboring villages Tekalgudiyam and Jonaguda, totaling 547 voters.
Konta assembly constituency, encompassing Sukma district, witnessed a 54.31 percent turnout, despite the Maoist Jagargunda area committee's banners in Puvarti urging a boycott of the polls.
In February, the Chhattisgarh police established a camp in Puvarti, heralded as a pivotal advancement in the fight against Left Wing Extremism.
Situated in a dense forest around 150 kilometers from Sukma district headquarters, Puvarti has long grappled with underdevelopment and a lack of basic amenities due to Naxal insurgency and geographical constraints.
The deployment of security camps in remote and heavily Maoist-affected areas like Puvarti is anticipated to curtail the influence of insurgents and facilitate access to government development initiatives.
Notably, Puvarti serves as the ancestral village of former PLGA commander Hidma and current commander Barse Deva, both instrumental figures in Maoist activities.
Preceding the establishment of the Puvarti camp, security forces had set up a base in Tekulagudem, a few kilometers away, in January.
This operation was marred by a confrontation between security personnel and Naxalites, resulting in the loss of three CRPF personnel, including two CoBRA commandos, and injuries to 17 others.
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