More than Naxal con‚ict, expansion of railways, connectivity issues drive campaign in Kanker
Against the backdrop of the Lok Sabha election campaign in the Kanker constituency, which votes on April 26, the deadliest anti-Naxal operation in Chhattisgarh’s history was carried out on the fringes of the district, with as many as 29 Naxalites killed on April 16.
While this has triggered a political war between the main players, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing the Congress of supporting Naxals, it is yet to become a talking point on the ground. Two days after the operation in the Chhotebethiya area, the candidates are not too vocal about it in their campaign speeches.
Residents like Baliram Usendi, 54, a schoolteacher based in Antagarh, also suggest that the recent anti-Naxal operation may have emerged as a larger theme, but locally it is less likely to dominate the polls as Naxal violence has been a long-standing issue.
Mr. Usendi says that if violence subsides completely, it will help those impacted by it, especially in far-¥ung areas. He hopes for a resolution of the ongoing con¥ict, adding that peace should also give way to infrastructure development, a pressing need. “We do not have good roads to the interior villages due to which many young tribal students are unable to access the schools or job opportunities,” he says.
His views on the infrastructure issues are visible in Kalpar, Binagunda, and Koronar, villages close to the site of the recent gun battle between security forces and Maoists. Here no roads, anganwadis or health centres exist but many villagers are not even aware of the elections, some do not even know the name of the village sarpanch.
In another part of the constituency lies Koilebeda, a large Panchayat in Pakhanjur Tehsil of Kanker. While the village itself has decent infrastructure, it is also a centre where those from hamlets on the other side of the river come to access basic facilities. Basanta Patel, a resident of one such village, Gandadi, says covering the distance of one kilometre between her village and Koilebeda is a herculean task in the monsoon months when they have to use tubes to reach the area. A bridge has been a longstanding demand but does not see it getting fullled anytime soon. The campaign has not reached her village yet but she has heard of Bhojraj Nag, the BJP candidate for the area in her interaction with fellow residents.
Kanker, a Lok Sabha constituency reserved for tribal people, is spread across Kanker and Balod districts of Chhattisgarh. Like roads, expansion of railways has been a longstanding demand, while education and employment opportunities are crucial, opine residents.
The BJP’s campaign, however, is dependent on what its leaders describe as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “charisma”. B.S. Khaparde, a BJP worker from Bhanupratappur, says that they seek votes in the name of Mr. Modi, as they had done in the Assembly election and hope to get a similar result.