File photo of voting in Maoist-affected Chhattisgarh
The Central government has issued a warning about Maoists preparing to target the Chhattisgarh assembly election on November 11 and 19.
A home ministry advisory has warned about the group CPI-Maoists mobilizing their cadre and preparing to plant bombs on the routes to polling booths.
The advisory also says that Maoists are forming teams to identify ambush points and do all they can to disrupt polling.
Chhattisgarh's Chief Election Officer Sunil Kujur has said that 167 polling booths are being shifted to minimize the Maoist threat, which means many villagers may have to walk over 10 km to cast their vote.
"In some booths in Maoist areas, voting can be as low as zero per cent. We can't be completely confident that polling will be safe," Mr Kujur told NDTV. Reports had suggested that villagers did not want the indelible ink on their finger, the mark of voting, due to fear that they would be targeted.
The home ministry's warning was based on information that large groups of over 50 Maoists along with their senior leaders were noticed in areas like Narayanpur and Bijapur. Sources say in meetings attended by shadowy Maoist mastermind Ganpathy, several teams were formed for specific tasks and promised rewards if they succeeded in sabotaging the polls.
The Maoists have also allegedly ordered villagers to stay away from polling booths. Villagers in Dantewada, one of the districts worst affected by Maoist violence, have allegedly been ordered to leave their villages before the polling days.
Sources said government teachers have also been warned against taking up election duties.
The home ministry advisory also has chilling details of Maoists collecting names and mobile numbers of police officers and Sarpanches, or village heads, and identifying the camps of security forces.
Chhattisgarh is the only state where polling will be held in two phases, due to the major security implications involved in holding violence-free voting. Over 50,000 paramilitary personnel have been sent to the state.