By Sujeet Kumar, IANS
Raipur : They used to keep away from Maoist strongholds. But suddenly senior leaders of Chhattisgarh’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress are busy camping in the terror grounds of Bastar.
For, an assembly by-poll is to be held Feb 4 in the Keshkal constituency of Bastar district and these politicians are out seeking votes.
Home Minister Ramvichar Netam had never spent a night in a Maoist stronghold after being elevated from the post of tribal welfare minister in a June 2005 cabinet reshuffle.
But now Netam and Revenue and Forest Minister Brijmohan Agrawal are visiting each and every family in Keshkal. They will return to state capital Raipur only on Feb 4 when voting ends.
Minister of State for Women and Child Development Lata Usendi and Public Health and Engineering Minister Kedar Kashyap are there too.
They are all hoping to help the BJP retain the seat. The by-election was necessitated by the death of BJP legislator Mahesh Baghel in a car accident in August last year. The seat is reserved for the Scheduled Tribes (ST).
Those in the fray are BJP candidate Sevakram Netam and Congress candidate Budhsan Markam. There are also three independents, one of whom is backed by the Shiv Sena.
The counting will be held Feb 7. The by-election result will be an indicator of where the parties stand before the assembly poll to be held in October or November this year.
The area is a hotbed of Maoist insurgency. Last month, Maoists cordoned off the Vishrampuri police station in the Keshkal constituency, shot dead three policemen inside the building and blew it up with explosives.
But that hasn’t prevented the politicians from going to Bastar now.
From the Congress camp, Leader of Opposition Mahendra Karma and state Congress president Charandas Mahant are camping in Keshkal.
Congress leader and former chief minister Ajit Jogi, Congress treasurer Motilal Vora and Chief Minister Raman Singh are scheduled to address public meetings in Keshkal later this week to woo voters for their party candidates.
“Police have always requested senior politicians and ministers to spend nights in Maoist bastions at least for a day or two to boost the morale of policemen fighting a losing battle against Maoists in Bastar, but they would keep their visits confined to an hour,” a senior Bastar police official told IANS on telephone.
“Even when 55 policemen were killed in Bijapur district in March last year, top politicians in the state and a few ministers visited the massacre site at Rani Bodli village barely for an hour for the sake of votes.
“But now ministers and senior leaders of both the ruling party and the opposition are camping in Keshkal,” the police officer added.