Voting in Jharkhand's Maoist zone

Many voters exercised their franchise freely in the Maoist-hit Tundi block in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district on Saturday as the rebels did not call for a poll boycott for the first time since 1984, officials said.

Enthusiasm was witnessed among the people of Tundi, which falls under Giridih Lok Sabha seat, as 56.77 per cent turnout was recorded in the block till 3 pm, Dhanbad Deputy Commissioner (DC) Madhvi Mishra said in a press communiqué.

Since 1984, Maoists have been putting up posters on school buildings and walls of houses asking people to refrain from casting their votes. They had called for boycotting the 2019 Lok Sabha polls as well, an official said.

However, this time, they did not give a poll boycott call in the area for the first time in four decades, he said. “The base area of the Maoists has shrunk in the state and they are now restricted to only a few pockets. This is one of the reasons behind high voter turnout in red zones,” a senior police officer said.

Voters’ confidence to freely exercise their franchise was also boosted by frequent visits of Dhanbad Senior Superintendent of Police HP Janardhan and his team to vulnerable booths, the official claimed.

The district administration declared 34 of the 85 booths in the block as Maoist-affected.

Dinesh Mahtha, one of the voters, said that long queues, especially of women, were seen at polling stations after many years.

Dhaneswar Singh, a Maniadih resident whose younger brother was killed by Maoists for refusing to give levy in 1984, said there was no fear of the red rebels in the region.

Sunil Choudhary, a school teacher in Tundi, claimed that Maoists have been completely wiped out from the region.