Chhattisgarh: 126 polling booths in Bastar will see elections for the first time

Of around 2900 polling stations in Bastar covering 12 assembly seats, there are 600 that are considered sensitive because of the Maoist threat perception

Tarrem / Silger (Bastar):62-year-old Puvaram Olam sits near the police barrier near the road in Tarrem village, watching the proceedings in front of him. In front of him are police personnel, armed with automatic rifles, monitoring every car that passes them by. Much of what is happening before him is fairly new. The road, running through a part of Bijapur district, in the epicentre of the state-Maoist conflict, was only built in 2021. It was only a few days ago that additional forces arrived at the police camp in Tarrem.

126 new polling booths in Bastar in the state of Chhattisgarh will see elections for the first time (Representative image)

For in one week, for the first time, the village will have its own polling booth. The challenge before the security forces is clear. “It was only yesterday that the Maoists threw pamphlets on the road to boycott the elections,” said Prashant Nag, station house officer of the local police station.

Chhattisgarh officials say that in this rendition of the state’s assembly polls, there will be 126 new polling booths in areas where there were none before, owing to Maoist influence in those areas. In Bijapur, Tarrem is one of the 6 new villages to have booths. Of the rest, 15 are in Kanker, 12 in Antagarh, 5 in Bhanupratappur (Kanker district), 20 in Konta (Sukma district), 14 in Chitrakot, 4 in Jagdalpur, 1 in Bastar (Bastar district), 13 in Kondagaon, 19 in Keshkal (Kondagaon district), 9 in Narayanpur, and 8 in Dantewada.

Olam, a resident of Tarrem, said he was excited to vote for the first time in his life. “Earlier, our polling booth was in Basaguda, 12 kilometres away from Tarrem, which is why very few could go and cast their ballot. But this time, people will vote,” Olam said. The numbers bear his testimony out. In 2018, of the 700 registered voters in Tarrem, only 6 people voted.

Six kilometres from Tarrem is the village of Silger, known over the last two years as the venue of one of the longest protests in the history of the state. On May 12,2021, villagers began protesting against the establishment of a camp in Mokur. Five days later, security forces had a gunfight with people they called Maoists, but the villagers say were only protesters. Four people were killed, and the demonstration, albeit much more muted and fatigued, continues to this day. “Since there is a model code of conduct due to the election only a couple of us are here at the protest camp,” said Karchan Joga, a resident of Golapalli village.

But Silger too, this time, will have a polling booth of its own. “The village comes under Sukma district which borders Bijapur and this is the first time a booth has been placed here. Earlier people had to walk at least 25 km to Jagargonda to cast their votes and very few did,” said a senior police officer.

The villagers of Silger however said that they are leaning towards voting on polling day on November 7. “We will organise a meeting and after that, we will decide to vote. No candidate has come to us, but this time we will,” said Korsa Joga, a resident of the village.

Officials who have spent time in the region said that this was a clear step forward in the struggle with left wing extremism, and without these booths, villagers had to trek long distances, crossing hills and rivulets, and bypassing Maoist threats, making it virtually impossible to do so. “Of the 126 locations, there are 40 polling stations which are being opened in their native villages, not another one that are far away,” said P Sundar Raj, Inspector General of Police, Bastar range.

The officer, however, said that the police were cognisant of the risks and threat perception, and had prepared an exhaustive security deployment plan. “Special forces like district reserve guard (DRG), special task force (STF), Bastar Fighters, CRPF and other central armed police forces along with local police are conducting regular operations in the area. Apart from the previously available forces we are getting additional security through the Election Commission of India. We are confident of increased voter participation,” Sundar Raj said.

Sundar Raj said that of the around 2900 polling stations in Bastar range that covers 12 assembly seats, there are 600 that are considered sensitive. “We have set up more than 65 new security camps in the past five years that has led to a change in the ground situation, which has in turn helped establish booths in remote villages. These new polling stations are an indication of an improving security scenario,” he said.