Maoists (erstwhile People's War Group) kicked off their poll boycott campaign last week with the bulk SMS under the pseudonym of Gudsa Usendi appealing to vote against the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Congress.
“Vote against landlords and communal politicians, support Telangana martyrs,” is the slogan on wall posters in the Bhadrachalam, Paderu and Nallamala forest belts.
The Election Commission has deployed nearly 150 companies of paramilitary forces across the border districts to ensure that the Maoist groups of Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Maharashtra do not infiltrate into Telangana region where elections are scheduled on April 30. “We have five helicopters for movement of forces and seven for movement of polling material,” DGP Prasada Rao said.
During the 2013 panchayat elections, poll boycott was seen in over 110 villages and 17 panchayats in Visakhapatnam region due to Maoists threat. Elections were called for these 17 gram panchayats in January but at around half-a-dozen places no nominations were filed. In other places 45 to 50 per cent polling was recorded. Similar impact of Maoists is anticipated in the Zilla Parishad and Mandal parishad polls slated next week.
Maoists have considerable influence in G K Veedhi, Koyyuru, Chintapalli, G Madugula, Peddabayalu and Munchingput mandals. The police have stepped up their preparations ahead of the elections and they are on alert with reports of nine action teams of the Maoists moving around to target former tribal welfare minister P Balaraju and former MLC K Sarveswara Rao and those wishing to contest the elections in May.
The 2014 General Elections, particularly in Telangana is a litmus test for the AP police who have said Maoist menace is manageable and not impossible to tackle in the backdrop of Telangana formation. “We are aware of their moves and methods to threaten peaceful electioneering and polling.So we are also prepared now,” the DGP said.
The Election Commission has identified 11 assembly segments in Telangana and 10 in Seemandhra region where polling will be held till 4 pm and the EVMs will be moved to safety by helicopters before sunset.
The revolutionary poet and president of the newly formed Revolutionary Democratic Front P Varavara Rao has branded actor Pawan Kalyan and his party Jana Sena as a front for the BJP, TDP and the Congress.
Rao has also called on the TRS President K Chandrasekhar Rao and CPI secretary K Narayana and sought their interference to end the ban on Maoists and their 7 frontal organisations. Maoists were banned in the state in 2005 after Congress MLA C Narasa Reddy was killed.
Maoists leaders have made it clear that they would support the Telangana Rastra Samiti (TRS) and CPI in Telangana and oppose the YSRC, TDP in Seemandhra and support the CPM and Congress there.
