Jharkhand Assembly Elections 2024: The Naxal challenge to electoral process

As polling in Jharkhand approaches, state police are making comprehensive preparations to ensure peaceful voting in the Maoist-affected areas.

Jharkhand has a long history with Naxal violence, dating back to its time as part of undivided Bihar, where its geographical features—rich in forests and mountains—provided fertile ground for Naxal activities.

Between 2008 and 2011, Naxalite incidents peaked, with 200 fatalities in 2009 alone, including 71 security personnel, 61 Naxalites, and 68 civilians, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal. Since 2000, over 2,183 lives have been lost to Naxal violence. During the 2014 elections, a Maoist attack in Dumka resulted in the deaths of eight polling personnel. In the 2019 elections, Maoists targeted BJP offices in Palamu and Kharsawan, but the overall situation improved.

Although Naxalite incidents continued after 2014, the police have been somewhat successful in bringing them under control to a great extent.

According to 2021 Ministry of Home Affairs statistics, 16 out of 24 districts in Jharkhand were affected by Naxalism, a higher count than in Chhattisgarh, the most affected state.

However, in August 2024, the Ministry reported that Left Wing Extremism (LWE) violence had considerably declined, with Naxalism now limited to five districts: Giridih, Gumla, Latehar, Lohardaga, and West Singhbhum. Chaibasa remains one of the 12 most severely impacted districts nationwide.

DGP Anurag Gupta stated in August that Jharkhand police have addressed 95 per cent of the Naxalite problem, with the remaining challenges confined to a few forested areas.

During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, voting occurred without any Maoist threats for the first time in a decade. Villages like Hesatu in the Budha Pahar region participated in elections for the first time in over 30 years, and significant voter turnout was reported across various naxal-hit areas.

As the elections draw near, Jharkhand has been allocated 100 companies of paramilitary forces, including CRPF, CISF, BSF, SSB, and ITBP, for deployment across all districts. The police have intensified their efforts, identifying 63 key Naxalite figures.

As per reports, the Jharkhand police claimed that they are adeptly prepared to ensure a smooth Assembly election, asserting that Naxal-related violence during elections is becoming a thing of the past.

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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