In the ongoing Telangana elections, if there is one significant absence, it is of the shadow of Naxalism. So much so that Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao invoked the days when Maoist fears were prevalent, dating it to there was an Indira Gandhi government at the Centre, to target the Congress. Why a big issue once Parts of unified Andhra Pradesh were once one of the strongest Naxal bases in the country, under the People's War Group (PWG). At one point, 21 of the 23 districts in the state, including seven districts now in Telangana, were affected by Naxalite violence, with 1990 (145 deaths), 1991 (227 deaths), 1992 (212 deaths) and 1993 (143 deaths) particularly bad years. Many of these districts were part of the this-designated ‘Red Corridor’ that stretched from Andhra, across Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, all the way to Odisha. The Maoists were able to cultivate a base in Andhra Pradesh largely by tapping into the resentment against big landlords and the Nizam rule among the peasants and the landless. By 2011, three years before Telangana was carved out, the Naxal threat had been reduced to a minimal, thanks to a succession of measures taken by the government. The PWG is now part of the larger CPI (Maoist) group, based mostly in Chhattisgarh. Why this is significant In the past, Naxal threat would loom large over polling in Telangana. Posters would appear overnight on electricity and telephone poles or on walls in Maoist-affected villages warning the ruling party or a local political leader. The Maoists would also issue letters asking the government “not to exploit tribals”, or against a mining operation, or police combing. Not anymore. This election no such threats or letters have come, although the Election Commission has designated 13 Assembly constituencies as Maoist-affected areas. But even this is down from 17 Maoist-affected constituencies in the 2018 polls. Which are key seats still The seats that no longer fall under this category include Mahbubabad, Nirmal, Adilabad, and Ramagundam. Those remaining are Manthani (won by Congress in 2018), Chennur (BRS), Sirpur (BRS), Bellampalli (BRS), Asifabad (Congress), Mancherial (BRS), Bhupalpally (Congress), Mulugu (Congress), Yellandu (Congress), Pinapaka (Congress), Aswaraopet (TDP), Bhadrachalam (Congress) and Kothagudem (Congress) — which fall in the former undivided Maoist-affected districts of Khammam and Warangal, which share a border with Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Police officials feel that they cannot let their guard down because these areas are very close to the Chattisgarh border where Maoists are thought to be present. Polling in these constituencies will be completed an hour early due to security reasons – sticking to the timings of 7 am to 4 pm. In 2018, the police had also asked candidates not to campaign in the areas designated as Maoist-affected after 4 pm. This time, no such advisory has been issued, although candidates, political leaders, and journalists have been asked to be careful. “There is no threat or Naxalite activity this time. Increased surveillance continues, but there is nothing to worry about,’’ Telangana DGP Anjani Kumar told The Indian Express. Why peace may hold 2011 was a hallmark year, with the lowest number of deaths (7 civilian, and no police casualties) and offences (41) registered since 1980. The last major police operation involving Maoists occurred in Telangana on December 27, 2021. At least six Maoists, including four women, were killed in a gunfight with security forces on the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border. The last major Maoist operation targeting political leaders was not in Telangana but Andhra Pradesh, when on September 23, 2018, Kidari Sarveswara Rao, the TDP MLA from Araku Valley in Visakhapatnam district, and former TDP MLA Siveri Soma were shot dead by a group of Maoists from the Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee. Though there were apprehensions about the newly-formed Telangana turning into a hotbed of Naxalism due to its proximity to the “live Red zones” in the Srikrishna Committee Report of 2013 which looked into the demand for a separate state of Telangana, India’s newest state has not seen any such revival. Why ground seen as shifting The Mulugu Assembly constituency, which was once a part of the Red Corridor, is witnessing an electoral battle this time between former Naxal and incumbent Congress MLA Dansari Anasuya aka Seethakka, who will take on Bade Nagajyoti of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). Nagajyoti’s father, Bade Nageswara Rao aka Prabhakar, was the commander of a unit of the CPI (Maoist) and was killed in a fight with the police. Speaking to The Indian Express earlier, Nagajyothi had dismissed any Naxalite influence or Naxalite issues in Mulugu constituency or district. Anasuya also said there is no active Naxalite movement anywhere in Telangana. Minister G Jagadish Reddy, Manakondur MLA R Balakishan and MLC N Laxman Rao are a few key leaders of the BRS who have been associated with the Naxal movement in the past. BJP MLA and chairman of the party’s election management committee Etala Rajender was associated with the Radical Students’ Union, seen as a frontal organisation of the Naxals. Revolutionary poet Gaddar, known to be a Maoist sympathiser who also faced police action, passed away recently. His daughter Venela has been given a ticket by the Congress from Secunderabad Cantt constituency.
