Ashok Mahato owns five acres of land his only source of income. Last week,he mortgaged two acres for a Rs 1 lakh loan from a local moneylender. But that money proved insufficient and Mahato had to mortgage another acre for Rs 50,000. Mahato is contesting the panchayat polls for the post of mukhiya. Without enough money you cannot have an effective election campaign, he says. Bero is in the midst of a campaign storm; after all,Jharkhand is witnessing its first panchayat polls. The enthusiasm of the voters can be gauged from the fact that the CPI(Maoist) bandh made little impact on November 30. Like other shopkeepers,Navin Singh,owner of a photocopy machine,did not close his shop in view of the bandh. He had a job to do: photocopying pamphlets for Mahato. Till recently,Bero and neighbouring Nagri,Itki and Lapung were infested with Maoist. More than 15 persons had been branded as traitors and killed by the rebels since January 1 this year. After the panchayat polls were notified on October 14,the CPI(Maoist) and its breakaway factions,Tritya Prastuti Committee (TPC) and Jharkhand Liberation Tigers,had put up posters asking villagers to boycott the elections. But as Bero and other villagers gear up to cast votes on December 6,the Maoists do not seem to matter. Posters and banners are seen on walls of mud huts that neither have electricity nor access to motorable roads. Non-availability of electricity,muddy roads and water scarcity are the main problems of my panchayat area and I will try my best to solve these if elected, promises Mahato. While the Maoists have asked the villagers to boycott the polls,some of their relatives have decided to join the democratic process. Their number is small and most of those contesting the polls belong to the breakaway factions of the CPI(ML), said IG (Special Branch) S N Pradhan. Among them are seven women and one man,CPI(Maoist)s former area commander Sarhula Ganjhu. Interestingly,most of these candidates have been elected unopposed. Ganjhu was elected unopposed as mukhiya of Lawalong in Chatra. Mamta Singh,who was elected unopposed as a member of the zila parishad in Chatra,is wife of TPC commander Amar Singh. TPC area commander Ram Vinay Singhs wife Neelam Devi was also elected unopposed to the panchayat samiti in Lawalong block in Chatra. Shanti Devi and Ram Kali Devi,former members of the CPI(Maoist)s womens wing,Nari Mukti Sangh,were elected unopposed as member and mukhiya,respectively,of Lawalong in Chatra. Samudri Manju Devi,wife of former zonal commander of CPI(Maoist) Kuldip Ganjhu,and Raj Kumari Devi,wife of Jharkhand Peoples Committees commander Dilchand Ganjhu,are contesting for Simaria panchayat in Chatra. That their relatives are contesting the polls has not meant that the Maoists are refraining from violence. On November 11,Babulal Marandi,a candidate,was beheaded. On November 27,the Maoists blew up an under-construction panchayat bhawan. The violence,however,hasnt deterred the 93,738 men and 108,051 women contesting the polls.
