By IANS,
Bhubaneswa : Maoists rebels in Orissa’s Malkangiri district have distributed hundreds of leaflets and posters asking people to boycott the general elections and threatening politicians who canvass for votes.
Rebels of the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) have also said they would burn vehicles used in campaigning. The leaflets were found Sunday night in the interior areas of the southern district of Malkangiri, about 700 km from here.
“We have found posters and leaflets in the Chitrakonda area. They have asked people to boycott polls and asked leaders to refrain from campaigning,” District Superintendent of Police Satyabrata Bhoi told IANS.
“We have beefed up securities in all the sensitive areas.”
The three major parties – the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) – have been described as anti-tribal in the pamphlets.
Maoists who claim to fight for the poor are active in more than half of state’s 30 districts. Malkangiri district is considered one of their strongholds.