The reign of terror unleashed by Maoists remains intact in most parts of Bastar even as dates of by-polls were announced for a string of panchayat seats in the insurgency riddled region.
This is despite State Government’s efforts to strengthen force deployment in the insurgency riddled region especially in the aftermath of the Jeeram ghati massacre by Maoists in which an entire State leadership of the Congress party was wiped out in one of the bloodiest attack carried out by the insurgents in the recent years on May 25.
The lack of interest among either the candidates or the local people to participate in the polls is palpable in the panchayats as the memory of former MP Baliram Kashyap’s son Tansen Kashyap’s murder by Maoists around three years back is still fresh in the minds of the locals.
The Maoists had warned the villagers not to participate in any poll process in the region with the result that three days have passed since the nominations were invited for the panchayat by-polls slated this month in several villages of the district and not a single nomination had been filed by any candidate.
The lack of interest has surprised many in the district administration as a surge of interest among political parties was expected even in the by-polls considering the fact that the Assembly polls are slated in the winter months in the State.
In the Sonpur Gram Panchayat of the Bakawand Development Block polls are to be held for the post of Sarpanch and five panchas but the poll fever is completely absent with no political activity in the village.
CEO of Bastar Janpad Panchayat Jangde the polls are to be held in a time bound manner for the posts of panchs in Sonpur while a complaint had been received regarding non holding of polls of panchs in Madhota village.
The seat of panch felt vacant at the Madhota Gram Panchayat after the demise of the elected panch and no polls could be conducted for a year against the rule of the Panchayati Raj Act which underlines that poll process need to be completed within six months of a seat becoming vacant.