Malkangiri: ‘Swabhiman Anchal’ or the self-respect zone, as it is called today, used to be a hotbed of left wing extremism not many years back. Development, connectivity, presence of security forces, and confidence of the locals in democracy and governance has changed the face of the erstwhile cut-off region of Maknagiri district.
The region comprising of 151 villages did not see proper elections for over 10 years, amid fear and terror of Maoists who awarded death sentence to anyone who dared to defy their fatwa against polls. Many of the villagers have quit their homeland and shifted to other parts of the district, but there are others who take pride in calling themselves natives of the Swabhiman Anchal.
As Odisha gears up for the three-tier Panchayat polls scheduled in February, the enthusiasm of the locals here is worth witnessing. After more than a decade, on February 24, people in Chitrakonda region of the district will be participating in an election, and they are happy to be a part of the festival of democracy.
While the contesting candidates are yet to launch a visible-scale campaign, they are leaving no stone unturned to reach out to the voters and educating them about the benefits of turning up in large numbers on the polling day to vote. “Over the next few days we will be ready with our banners and other campaign material and spread awareness about elections and chosing the right candidate,” said a candidate who is contesting for the Sarpanch’s post.
In case of General election, State Assembly poll or rural elections over the past several years, Maoist posters ordering locals to oppose the process was a common sight. However, this year, with a strong presence of BSF, SOG and district police in the locality, the anti-system posters and decree are a rarity. Besides, the development-oriented works including the establishment of Gurupriya bridge has acted as a catalyst boosting the confidence of the inhabitants in the administration.
Malkangiri Collector Vishal Singh said, “In Chitrakonda Block we have received more than 300 nominations for Sarpanch, Ward Member and Panchayat Samiti Member posts. There is a very encouraging participation of the local people for the upcoming rural polls. The campaigning is going on in a smooth manner. We are expecting that polling in more than 200 booths in the region will be carried out seamlessly, with the support of security forces.”
