villagers-of-this-maoist-hotbed-to-vote-after-three-decades-in-jharkhand

Villagers of the Budha Pahad area along the Jharkhand Chhattisgarh border will exercise their right to vote after three decades in Lok Sabha polls 2024.

 

The area, which was the centre of terror in every election in Jharkhand since the year 1990, was cleared from the clutches of Maoists in January 2023.

 

The Budha Pahad Hills, which were impregnable for security forces for three decades, were ruled by Maoists, who used to issue orders to boycott elections to the locals. Even in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Maoists had issued a vote boycott order.

 

There were many training centres for Maoists of Jharkhand and Bihar in the area, from where Maoists used to decide their policy for Bihar and Jharkhand.

 

Operation Octopus was launched in the Budha Pahad area in September 2022 and in January 2023 the area was finally cleared from the Maoists.

 

In previous elections, polling personnel were sent by helicopter to all the villages of Budha Pahad. But, this time there is a proposal to send polling personnel by helicopter to only two areas.

 

The Budha Pahad area is divided into two parts. A major part is in the Palamu Lok Sabha constituency, while the other part falls in the Chatra Lok Sabha constituency.

 

Polling stations are set up in Madgadi and Tehri Panchayat. People of the villages travel a distance of 15 to 20 kilometres to cast their votes on foot.

 

The area is surrounded by dense forests and mountains. Villagers of Turer, Tuveg, Chemo, Sanya, Kutku villages, Matgadi and villagers of many villages including Jhaludera, and Vaheratoli go to Tehri Panchayat to vote.

 

Notably, Voter ID cards have been made for the first time for hundreds of villagers in the area this election.

 

There are 27 villages in the Budha Pahad area, which are divided into 89 hamlets, out of which 6 villages are in Garhwa and 11 villages are in Latehar. It has a population of about 19,836 people in 3908 houses.

 

Seventy-six per cent of the population of the area is Scheduled Tribe, while eight per cent of the population is a primitive tribe. A target has been set to make everyone's voter card by the elections.

 

For the 2024 elections, 40 companies of security forces are deployed in Budha Pahad and surrounding areas. Special preparations are being made for the polls. Everyone is being asked to participate in the elections.

 

Administrative officers and senior security officials are also communicating with the villagers encouraging them to participate in the electoral process.