Gadchiroli: Locals thwart Maoist move to boycott polls

In a significant development, some villages in Korchi tehsil of Gadchiroli district have repulsed a move of CPI (Maoists) appeal to boycott the April 11 polls in the Naxalite-infested district.

Ahead of polls to Lok Sabha, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and local bodies, Maoists send out messages and put up banners to boycott polls.

This time too, they engaged in the same tactics, but villagers put their act together.

"In some villages in Korchi, Maoists made attempts to ensure that villagers do not vote, but the attempts were thwarted," sources in Korchi said.

Korchi is a town and tehsil in Kurkheda sub-division of Gadchiroli district.

Officials of the Gadchiroli district and Anti-Naxalite Operations (ANO) of the Maharashtra police, while confirming the incident, said that it is a healthy sign that people themselves have started speaking against the Naxalites.

The Naxals have put up poll boycott notices in Kochinara, Butekasa and Satputi areas on the Korchi-Butekasa road. "They have put up red flags and gave a call to boycott Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls," officials told DH, adding that, however, villagers came together, raised slogans and burnt the banners and flags.

ANO officials said that the incident shows the true face of Maoists and the atrocities committed by them against poor tribals. "Slogans like 'Naxalwad murdabad' were raised," they said.

Meanwhile, security has been tightened in the Gadchiroli district in the wake of the April 11 elections and the first anniversary of the April 22-23 twin encounters in which 40 Naxalites were killed by police and security forces.