Visakhapatnam: Tribal village casts vote after 15 yrs

Visakhapatnam: After 15 years, the Maoist-dominated Balapam panchayat in Chintapalli mandal witnessed panchayat elections. With the combined efforts made by the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) and the district police, the polling was held in a hassle-free manner in the region.

Ahead of the elections, Chintapalli A S P Vidhya Sagar Naidu infused confidence among the locals to exercise their franchise without any fear. Despite the pressure from the Maoists to boycott elections, voters in large numbers came forward to cast their vote.

Speaking to The Hans India, the ASP said, "Despite the threats from the Maoists to boycott elections, people in Balapam panchayat came forward to cast their vote. Thanks to the community policing taken up by the police, medical camps held in the most inaccessible areas such as Cheruvuru and volleyball tournament that drew players from neighbouring regions, the locals realised the need to vote, elect their sarpanch and improve their standard of living."

Years before, a tribal, Karla, who filed the nomination for the elections, was killed by the Maoists. The Maoists continued to threaten the locals, urging them to boycott the polls. "Whoever tried to contest ignoring the Maoists' warnings was targeted. But this time, people saw how police came forward to reach out to them. They were actually craving for development. We used to take special care whenever people of Balapam panchayat approached us for some help," elaborated the ASP of Chintapalli.

Efforts were also made to relocate the nominated candidates contesting in the polls to ensure that there were no last minute withdrawals. This apart, a three-level security system was in place at critical points to ensure safety for the contesting candidates and avoid any untoward incident at the booths.

Given the security arrangements and the use of satellite phones, Balapam recorded 50 per cent polling in the panchayat polls.