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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Gadchiroli SP declares Maoist menace ‘almost over’

Mumbai: In a resounding statement signalling a historic shift, Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police (SP) Neelotpal has declared the district, once the dark heart of the ‘Red Corridor,’ is on the verge of becoming completely free of the Naxal menace. The SP expressed absolute confidence in the complete eradication of the banned CPI (Maoist) presence, noting that the remaining cadres have dwindled to a mere handful. “There has been a sea change in the situation,” SP Neelotpal stated,...

Gadchiroli SP declares Maoist menace ‘almost over’

Mumbai: In a resounding statement signalling a historic shift, Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police (SP) Neelotpal has declared the district, once the dark heart of the ‘Red Corridor,’ is on the verge of becoming completely free of the Naxal menace. The SP expressed absolute confidence in the complete eradication of the banned CPI (Maoist) presence, noting that the remaining cadres have dwindled to a mere handful. “There has been a sea change in the situation,” SP Neelotpal stated, highlighting the dramatic turnaround. He revealed that from approximately 100 Maoist cadres on record in January 2024, the number has plummeted to barely 10 individuals whose movements are now confined to a very small pocket of the Bhamragad sub-division in South Gadchiroli, near the Chhattisgarh border. “North Gadchiroli is now free of Maoism. The Maoists have to surrender and join the mainstream or face police action... there is no other option.” The SP attributes this success to a meticulously executed multi-pronged strategy encompassing intensified anti-Maoist operations, a robust Civic Action Programme, and the effective utilisation of Maharashtra’s attractive surrender-cum-rehabilitation policy. The Gadchiroli Police, especially the elite C-60 commandos, have achieved significant operational milestones. In the last three years alone, they have neutralised 43 hardcore Maoists and achieved a 100 per cent success rate in operations without police casualties for nearly five years. SP Neelotpal highlighted that the security forces have aggressively moved to close the “security vacuum,” which was once an estimated 3,000 square kilometres of unpoliced territory used by Maoists for training and transit. The establishment of eight new police camps/Forward Operating Bases (FoBs) since January 2023, including in the remote Abujhmad foothills, has been crucial in securing these areas permanently. Winning Hearts, Minds The Civic Action Programme has been deemed a “game changer” by the SP. Through schemes like ‘Police Dadalora Khidaki’ and ‘Project Udaan’, the police have transformed remote outposts into service delivery centres, providing essential government services and employment opportunities. This sustained outreach has successfully countered Maoist propaganda and, most critically, resulted in zero Maoist recruitment from Gadchiroli for the last few years. Surrender Wave The state’s progressive rehabilitation policy has seen a massive influx of surrenders. “One sentiment is common among all the surrendered cadres: that the movement has ended, it has lost public support, and without public support, no movement can sustain,” the SP noted. The surrender of key figures, notably that of Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias ‘Bhupathi,’ a CPI (Maoist) Politburo member, and his wife Sangeeta, was a “landmark development” that triggered a surrender wave. Since June 2024, over 126 Maoists have surrendered. The rehabilitation program offers land, housing under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, and employment. Surrendered cadres are receiving skill training and are successfully transitioning into normal life, with around 70 already employed in the local Lloyds plant. A District Reborn The transformation of Gadchiroli is now moving beyond security concerns. With the decline of extremism, the district is rapidly moving towards development and normalcy. The implementation of development schemes, round-the-clock electricity, water supply, mobile towers, and new infrastructure like roads and bridges is being given top priority. He concludes that the police’s focus is now shifting from an anti-Maoist offensive to routine law-and-order policing, addressing new challenges like industrialisation, theft, and traffic management. With the Maoist movement in “complete disarray” and major strongholds like the Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh (MMC) Special Zone collapsing, the SP is highly optimistic. Gadchiroli is not just getting rid of the Naxal menace; it is embracing its future as a developing, peaceful district, well on track to meet the central government’s goal of eradicating Naxalism by March 31, 2026.

Shifting Loyalties, Fragmented Alliances

Updated: Nov 18, 2024

Solapur

As November 20 draws ever closer, the electoral contests in the 11 Assembly segments in Solapur district promise to be fiercely fought ones.


The district has historically been a stronghold for both the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition MVA, notably the Congress and the NCP (SP).

Historically, Solapur has been a district in flux: in the 2019 Assembly elections, the BJP secured four of the district’s 11 seats, and subsequently added another in the Pandharpur by-election when it managed to wrest that seat from the then undivided NCP.


In the aftermath of splits within the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Mahayuti now holds eight of the 11 seats, with the two independents veering towards the ruling coalition. Yet, despite a commanding presence that seems unassailable, recent trends in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where the alliance lost both the Solapur and Madha constituencies, suggest that the battle for this region is far from a foregone conclusion.


The defection of key leaders and the rise of rebel candidates within both the Mahayuti and MVA camps has added byzantine intrigue to this electoral contest. A record eight rebel candidates have entered the fray, increasing the likelihood of fragmented votes and unpredictable outcomes, especially in constituencies where the margins of victory could be razor-thin. In a district where local feuds often overshadow broader ideological divides, the personal ambitions of these rebels could determine the fate of the election.


The fragmentation within the two major alliances is evident across several key constituencies. Nowhere is this starker than in Solapur City Central, a Congress stronghold, Praniti Shinde, daughter of veteran Congressman and former Union Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, is seeking re-election for a third term. The contest here has turned multi-cornered, with BJP’s Devendra Kothe, CPI(M)’s Narsayya Adam, and Congress’s own Chetan Narote competing alongside AIMIM’s Farooq Shabdi and a rebel NCP candidate, Taufique Shaikh.


The significant Muslim vote in the area, once a reliable source of support for the NCP, is now in danger of splitting, potentially reducing the chances of any single candidate achieving a decisive victory.


In Solapur City North, the BJP’s four-time MLA Vijaykumar Deshmukh faces a challenge from the NCP (SP)’s Mahesh Kothe, but the contest has become more unpredictable due to a rebellion within the BJP ranks. Former mayor Shobha Banshetti is contesting as an independent candidate, drawing support from the area’s significant Lingayat community, a group traditionally aligned with the BJP. The split in the BJP vote could be pivotal, given the area’s strong BJP presence in the recent Lok Sabha elections.


Solapur South, another key constituency, sees BJP’s Subhash Deshmukh defending his seat against Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Amar Patil, with Dharmaraj Kadadi, a prominent Lingayat leader from the NCP, running as an independent.


Factionalism has also affected the PWP bastion of Sangola, where Shiv Sena and Shiv Sena (UBT) face off against each other in a contest that also involves the PWP’s Dr. Babasaheb Deshmukh. Similarly, the BJP’s Samadhan Awatade, Congress’s Bhagirath Bhalke, and NCP’s Anil Sawant are locked in a triangular battle in Pandharpur.


Amidst the political turmoil, voters in Solapur are increasingly focused on practical issues. The district, reliant on sugarcane farming, faces chronic water shortages. However, these concerns have been overshadowed by local feuds, ticket disputes, and alliance splits.

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