Maoist Threat To Voters Against Panchayat Polls Spreads To 3 Districts In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: With campaigning for panchayat elections gaining momentum, the Maoist warning to voters against participating in the polls has been reported from different parts of the state.

Maoist posters on the panchayat polls surfaced in Swabhiman Anchal area under Chitrakonda block of Malkangiri district on Thursday.

The posters that were found pasted on the walls in Jantri and Jantabai panchayats have told the candidates, who have filed their nominations for the elections, to withdraw the papers. Issued by the CPI (Maoist) Visakha Division, the posters have threatened them of dangerous consequences, if they failed to follow its command.

On Tuesday, Maoist banners urging people to boycott the elections surfaced near Majhipali Chowk along the Biju Expressway in Paikmal block of Bargarh district. The two banners, put up by Bargarh-Balangir-Mahasamund (BBM) divisional committee of the banned outfit, were seized by police.

In the banners written in Hindi, the Maoists told the voters to boycott the panchayat polls. Terming the election as fake and corrupt, the ultras urged locals to fight for real development of their villages. “Villagers should expose the false promises made by capitalistic leaders and question them,” the banners read.

Similarly, secretary of the Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee of the Maoists, Ganesh issued a press note on Sunday telling the voters of Rayagada to boycott the elections.

Stating that the state government was only working for capitalists, the Maoists accused it of making false promises to the people. Since the government’s policies are against the poor, Ganesh told the people to boycott the panchayat elections.