It was a huge triumph of democracy as the residents of Chitrakonda block in Malkangiri’s Swabhiman Anchal, a known Maoist bastion, turned up at the polling booths last Thursday to cast their votes in the fifth and final phase of panchayat elections in the state. They got to exercise their franchise after a gap of nearly 10 years, a period marked by rebel violence and complete lack of development.
Hence, February 24 could very well be described as a red-letter day for the people of this area who had been living under the shadow of Maoist guns for nearly five decades. Keen to liberate democracy from the shackles of the Maoists, the Malkangiri administration made heavy security arrangements to ensure peaceful polling. Jawans of the BSF and Special Operations Group (SOG) of the state police kept guard as people voted. Drone-fitted cameras maintained a close watch on the polling booths.
In some areas voters had to be ferried by boats to their respective booths. As many as 54 booths were relocated in view of the Maoist threat. The administration also arranged a special launch to send 15 polling parties to three Maoist-affected panchayats of Jantri, Andrapalli and Jodamaba to supervise voting.
Enthusiasm for participation in the rural polls had been visible among the people of Swabhiman Anchal, earlier known as the “cut-off” area because of its difficult topography, right from day the election schedule was announced. Openly defying the Maoist diktat for the boycott of polls, people interested in contesting started filing their nominations and they also campaigned with vigour.
What made them confident about being able to participate in the elections freely was the success of the security forces in pushing the ultras back from some of their strongholds in the area. The forces intensified their operation against the rebels after the inauguration of Gurupriya bridge that connected the area with the district’s mainland by road after a gap of nearly five decades. The opening of the bridge by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in 2018 was a landmark event that also facilitated developmental activities in this once benighted region.
The people of Swabhiman Anchal, which has a population of 31,730, are witnessing the fruits of development for the first time in several decades following the inauguration of the bridge. Panchayat offices in the region have become functional for the first time and schools and hospitals are witnessing a lot of activity. Transport and communication have been facilitated with the construction of new roads and the installation of mobile towers.
As the area gets ready to welcome its Panchayati Raj representatives who will be democratically elected after a decade-long hiatus, there is every hope that the government’s developmental drive in the Swabhiman Anchal will receive a massive boost.
Comment here