By IANS,
Raipur: The Chhattisgarh government has sought at least 15,000 additional paramilitary troopers for the May 8 Lok Sabha by-election from the Maoist stronghold of Bastar, official sources said.
“We have briefed the Election Commission about the complexity of the situation in Bastar due to Maoists’ monopoly as roughly 80 percent of Bastar is covered by forests. We need at least 15,000 extra troopers to boost security to ensure smooth polling,” an official at the police headquarters here told IANS.
Chhattisgarh is amongst the states worst hit by the leftist insurgency. For almost three decades, Maoists have commanded the forested interiors of Bastar, carrying out several deadly attacks on forces and civilians post-2005 – including the massacre of 76 security personnel in Bastar region’s Dantewada district last April.
The official said police also needed six helicopters to back up forces with ready reinforcements in case of attack in areas inaccessible by road. In the last assembly polls held in the state in 2008, Maoists had fired at an Indian Air Force (IAF) chopper and killed a sergeant.
“Holding polls in a peaceful manner is an extremely tough job in Bastar where a majority of the interior roads are planted with landmines. Hope we will be able to overcome Maoists challenges on May 8,” the official said.
The Lok Sabha bypoll from Bastar has been necessitated by the death of the state’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tribal leader and the sitting MP, Baliram Kashyap, last month.
There are eight candidates in the fray for the tribal reserved seat but the main contest is between BJP’s Dinesh Kashyap, the son of the late Baliram Kashyap, and the Congress’ Kawasi Lakhma.
Lakhma is legislator from Konta, one of the eight assembly seats that make up the Bastar parliamentary constituency.