The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Ballot wins over the bullet in remote forest areas

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Friday, Apr 17, 2009
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Ballot wins over the bullet in remote forest areas

B.V.S. Bhaskar

Gurthedu (East Godavari/Vizag Agency): Illiterate tribal people proved that ballot (now EVM) is powerful than bullet on Thursday, where first phase of election took place in Rampachodavaram Assembly segment. Particularly in Gurthedu, where No police, Revenue officials dared to cross Maredumilli till 2007 as Maoist Dalam is active in this area. But tribal and police are moving freely from last two years in this area, despite the movement of some group or other from neighboring Visakha, Orissa and Chattisgarh borders there in this area. Even now Maoists gave a poll boycott call, but tribals took it casually.

It’s like wedding

Only three gunmen with AK-47 at polling station and other special, greyhounds, striking forces in remote forest areas shows the sea change in this election compared to 2004 elections, where every half kilometer there were three two five armed forces were deployed to monitor these naxalite affected areas.

Tribals in large numbers turned out to polling stations situated in Gurthedu, Daragadda (Irlavada), Bodlanka, Boduluru, Aaku Mamidikota, Maredumilli and Rampachodavaram from early in the morning on Thursday. It is like turning up to a wedding ceremony in one of their relative’s house. Tribal couple dressed up with new clothes and with children with balloons came to polling booths.

Kondla Karri Reddy from Tangankota, which is about 20 km said that about 300 people from Patakota, Tangankota, Chaparai, Darakonda came to Gurthedu for polling by walk. Potavaram village is a different village. The tribals are displaced by Jwalaput project and there are other 16 villages along with it, who are exercised their franchise in Matam Bheemavaram Panchayat of Vizag Agency.

As a precautionary measure, police deployed helicopter to lift EVM boxes from Gurthedu.

No police or Revenue officials dared cross Maredumilli till 2007 as Maoist Dalam was active in this area. But tribal and police are moving freely.Even now Maoists gave a poll boycott call, but tribals took it casually.

Only three gunmen with AK-47 at polling station and other special, Greyhounds, striking forces in remote forest areas show the sea change in this election.

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