Devuji or Sonu: Who will head the Maoists now that Basavaraju is dead?
The two names have cropped up on the radar of the security establishment. Tirupathi is the chief of the Central Military Commission, the armed wing of the Maoist party, while Venugopal Rao is believed to be its ideological head
Maoist chief Basavaraju was killed during an encounter with security forces on Wednesday. 
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A day after Maoist chief Basavaraju’s killing, the security establishment is in the process of figuring out who will helm the Communist Party of India (Maoist) next. Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju, 70, was the general secretary of the banned outfit, serving both as its ideological and combat head.
Two names that have cropped up on India’s intelligence wing’s radar are Thippiri Tirupathi alias Devuji and Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Sonu. While Tirupathi is the chief of the Central Military Commission (CMC) — the armed wing of the Maoist party — Venugopal Rao is believed to be the ideological head of the party at the moment.
Tirupathi is a Madiga (Dalit) community from Telangana, while Venugopal Rao is a Brahmin. “Tirupathi’s leadership, if he assumes the helm, is going to be pivotal because he comes from a marginalised background and can rally the party’s cadre, including the adivasis,” a top intelligence officer from Telangana told The Indian Express.
What’s striking is that each of them is considered second-rung leadership when compared to two former general secretaries who helmed the party – Muppalla Laxman Rao alias Ganapathy who stepped down in 2018, and Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju (70), who was killed on Tuesday. “It’s the second-tier leadership which is going to guide the party now that many among the older leadership have been killed,” the officer said. Devuji is 62 years old and Sonu is 70.
Devuji hails from Jagtial in Telangana, and Sonu is from the state’s Peddapalli region. “We need to see if the party will go for its armed command to take over during this crisis period or whether they rely on their ideological fountain to remain afloat,” a top intelligence official from Telangana told The Indian Express.
Another factor the party might consider is the appeal of who it chooses. “The party may need someone who has a legacy like Venugopal Rao,” an official said. Rao is Kishenji’s brother. “There is a section of people who still consider Kishenji one of the outfit’s tallest leaders. Rao alias Sonu could fill that gap,” an officer said.
At a time when the recruitment from the Telugu states to the party has practically frozen, even as the offensive by the security establishment is resulting in large-scale killing of Maoist leaders, the party is in crisis, officials said.
While the party has been demanding peace talks with the Centre, this has not materialised. “Most of the old cadre will not lay down arms – a precondition for surrender – till they get killed. That is the unfortunate reality,” an officer said. Some states, including Telangana, where the Congress is in power, have been asking the Maoist leadership to surrender.
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