Mulugu (Telangana): As Telangana goes to polls on 30 November, outlawed Maoists are making their presence felt within the Mulugu constituency bordering Chhattisgarh.
After issuing a boycott name instantly after the Telangana election dates have been launched final month, the Communist Social gathering of India (Maoist) despatched over a six-member motion workforce from throughout the border, the state police stated in a press release.
Their bid is to disturb the elections by “creating a fear psychosis among people by killing public representatives, and political leaders,” Ashok Kumar, IPS, officer on particular responsibility (Operations), Mulugu, instructed ThePrint.
And braving their threats are two girls candidates. By the way, each Anasuya Danasari of the Congress and Bade Nagajyothi of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) have Maoist backgrounds. The combat, villagers in Mulugu stated, is primarily between the 2 events, although the BJP can be within the fray.
Danasari, the sitting Congress MLA, is a well-liked face of “the bullet to ballot” story within the nation. She is healthier often known as Seethakka, a reputation from her radical days related to the Maoists.
Fifty-two-year-old Seethakka, who joined the ultras as a youngster, left the motion in 1997 and later grew to become a lawyer. In 2004, she joined politics on the invitation of the then united AP chief minister and Telugu Desam Social gathering (TDP) chief Chandrababu Naidu. After dropping in 2004, she grew to become a legislator in 2009. Trounced in 2014 polls as a TDP candidate once more, Seethakka joined the Congress later and regained her seat within the meeting within the final polls.
This time, BRS chief and Chief Minister Okay. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) has pitted 29-year-old Bade Nagajyothi in opposition to Seethakka within the Scheduled Tribe reserved seat.
Nagajyothi, the Mulugu Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies chairperson, is a first-time contestant within the meeting polls. She is the daughter of Maoist couple Bade Nageswara Rao alias Prabhakar and Rajeswari alias Nirmalakka. Prabhakar was killed in a 1999 police encounter within the Tadwai forests, whereas Nirmalakka died of in poor health well being later.
“I was of preschool age at that time,” Nagajyothi instructed ThePrint.
Whereas Prabhakar’s brother Murali was additionally slain across the identical time, her different uncle, Bade Chokka Rao alias Damodar, is reportedly the Maoist state committee secretary, additionally working as a central committee member.
“I believe in our constitution, have complete faith in democracy and chose this path to serve the people. They (Maoists) also are pro-poor, working classes but operate on a different ideology,” Nagajyothi stated when requested concerning the Maoist name to boycott polls.
In the meantime, OSD Kumar stated the district police are engaged in drone surveillance, cordon and search operations, tactical car checkings, and space domination workouts to counter the insurgents. “We have inputs that the team is planning to plant Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) to kill security personnel deployed for election duties,” he added.
Mulugu Superintendent of Police Gaush Alam instructed ThePrint that Maoists have additionally put up posters warning folks.
“At present, the Maoist team is lying low. We have Bijapur, one of the worst Left-wing extremism affected, as our neighbour. Chhattisgarh saw some Maoist incidents during the polls, so we are taking all precautions while conducting flag marches in Maoist-prone border areas as confidence building exercises and to encourage people to vote in the elections,” he added.
Massive swathes of Telangana, particularly the forest-tribal areas, have been as soon as underneath the Maoist affect. Elections have been typically marred by Maoist boycott calls and violent actions. The scenario modified from the mid-2000s, with a mixed strategy of presidency’s welfare, growth and fight led by the Greyhounds, an elite police drive raised for the aim.
This time, the Election Fee has designated 13 meeting constituencies within the state, together with Mulugu, as Maoist-affected segments, the place voting course of could be wound up an hour earlier, by 4 pm.
Additionally learn: Congress, BJP referred to as Kaleshwaram KCR’s ‘ATM, farmhouse project’. Why Telangana voters aren’t
Forest dwellers, Podu pattas
Mulugu, one of many largest constituencies in Telangana space clever with dense forests, has Scheduled Tribes forming about 45 p.c of the two,21,095 voters, in accordance with Election Fee information.
Through the pandemic, sitting MLA Seethakka grew to become standard for her efforts to ship meals gadgets, garments to the remotely situated tribals in forests, herself trudging on treacherous rocky-hilly trails, handing out necessities akin to rice, dal to the needy.
In Ramanjapur village, within the Maoist-prone Venkatapur mandal, residents Ramakrishna Asapalli and Vishwas Reddy spoke extremely of her as Boyini Suresh, a Congress employee, confirmed Seethakka’s identify tattooed on his left arm.
Assembled at a grocery store within the night, the boys raised the one concern echoing in lots of areas — lack of presidency jobs, TSPSC paper leaks.
Whereas claiming that their MLA is at all times amid them and simply approachable, the younger males alleged that KCR is hindering Seethakka from doing extra for her constituents.
Boyini and Asapalli recalled an incident on the newly-built grand Telangana secretariat the place Seethakka was allegedly stopped from getting into to fulfill officers.
“Seethakka’s efforts are to gain popularity on social media. I intend to do real service to the people as their MLA,” Nagajyothi, a MSc in Botany and B.Ed., who was a trainer earlier than plunging into politics, countered.
Responding to the pro-Seethakka sentiment, KCR addressed a rally in Mulugu Friday, the place he alleged that the sitting MLA by no means comes to fulfill him together with her constituency calls for.
“Though you defeated us, we are taking proper care of you, enquiring about your needs (from BRS leaders here),” KCR stated, mentioning the district hospital in enlargement and the medical school underneath building right here. The CM stated the Sammakka-Sarakka (twin deities revered by the locals) pageant can be being carried out in a grand method underneath his regime.
Along with the fundamental necessities, akin to roads, water, pensions, ration playing cards, and Podu rights to domesticate forest lands are main points right here. Podu is a type of conventional, shifting cultivation used extensively by tribals in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
“We have distributed Podu land pattas pertaining to 48,000 acres to the tribals,” KCR stated, including that they’ll try, upon retaining energy, to increase the popularity to non-tribals cultivating such lands.
Seethakka, an MA, PhD in political science, questioned these claims, saying that everlasting pattas weren’t given.
She and TPCC chief Revanth Reddy, both previously with the TDP, share a great rapport and her supporters are assured that the two-time MLA, additionally a tribal, will turn out to be a minister if the Congress involves energy.
Speaking to reporters, Seethakka additionally sounded confident of “a ministerial berth in Congress government”.
An AICC member and Mahila Congress chief, Seethakka can be within the good books of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. The Telangana Congress’s Vijayabheri bus yatra marketing campaign was launched by Rahul and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from close to the UNESCO world heritage web site, thirteenth century marvel Ramappa temple, in Mulugu.
In Mulugu district headquarters, Chinnamsetty Srinivas, who runs a retailer, is undecided between the 2 girls candidates. The discuss although, he stated, is that “Seethakka will become a prominent minister if Congress comes to power in the state.”
“That would be good for development here,” he added.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
Additionally learn: ‘Pensions to elderly over govt jobs for youth?’ Why younger voters of Telangana have a grouse with KCR