A Brave Vote for Change

Despite a boycott call by the Maoists, villagers in Naxal-infested Bastar of Chhattisgarh turned out to vote in large numbers

- Malini Subramaniam

I reached Gadiras late afternoon on November 6-a day before the first phase of the elections-cutting through the once-forbidden picturesque Katekalyan road from Tirathgarh. Beyond Katekalyan, the 60-km long-winding forest road gave way to a narrow forest path. Old roads dug up by Naxalites, as remarked by a passerby, were visible, marking their erstwhile presence in the region. The two-foot wide ditches were partially levelled with bamboo for two-wheelers to pass; in some places, parts of the road were padded with stones and mud, all of which still made a telling signal of a "no-go" passage for larger four-wheel vehicles.

Twenty-five-odd kilometres further from Gadiras lies Gufdi, a village considered 'notorious' for Naxal support. The road disappeared after a five km ride leading to Kondre. The rest of the 12-odd km was through a forested stretch until Gufdi.

At a dilapidated panchayat bhavan sat Manju Kawasi, the Sarpanch of Gufdi Gram Panchayat, busy discussing with young village boys the modus operandi for the 420 voters from her village to reach Kondre to cast their votes.

"The voters from our village are eager to vote, but the Election Commission has shifted the polling booth to Kondre, a good 11 km from here," she says exasperatedly. "We have to now arrange for tractors for voters to reach the Kondre polling booth."

People from six villages-Maroki, Gufdi, Gondpalli, Gonderas, Dabba and Pandupara (Kundanpal-2)-had petitioned the Election Commissioner as early as September 28, seeking the establishment of polling stations in their villages. However, there was no response, and instead, polling stations were shifted to locations as far as 5-20 km away.