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Naxal-hit villages field own candidates in local body polls

Gram sabhas in Gadchiroli fed up with political parties; Aim is to resolve long-pending issues of mining and displacement

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Advocate Lalsu addressing a gathering in Laheri village
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Lalsu Nogoti, 35, is a practising lawyer in the Naxal-affected Bhamragad tehsil of Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra. He is the most educated person from the area, which is characterised by dense and remote forest, spread up to the hills of Abhujhmad on Chhattisgarh border.

Lalsu is one of the four contestants trying their luck from Arewada-Nelgunda (ST) constituency in the Zilla Parishad polls slated to held on February 21. Backed by 70 tribal gram sabhas, this independent candidate is pitted against the old guards of the BJP, NCP and a Congress rebel.

Most of the legal cases he dealt with pertain to police atrocities against a tribal community to which he himself belongs to. ILS Law College and Fergusson College (both Pune) graduate Lalsu completed his schooling at Baba Amte's Ashram (Gadchiroli). His father had passed away when he was still a toddler and his mother had got remarried.

According to the villagers – who are pooling Rs 20 from each household in 70 villages to campaign for their candidate – Lalsu is their first choice as all previous elected representatives have failed them for decades. "We no more trust any political party," said a villager.

Over 1,000 tribal villages which together constitute eight seats in Gadchiroli Zilla Parishad have fielded own candidates. This is for the first time in the history of Maharashtra or possibly in India that a gram sabha has decided to pitch its own candidate.

Now all eight chosen aspirants are contesting as independents to the Zilla Parishad, which has 51 seats altogether. The gram sabhas have also fielded candidates for 12 panchayat samiti seats. All are educated at least up to class 12, and half of them are women. First phase of polling held on February 17 had sealed the fate of some of them.

Prior to this, applications were invited from willing youngsters. The best ones were chosen by voting under 'Ghotul', the traditional office of tribal gram sabhas.

A few candidates are dubbed as 'naxal sympathisers' by the district police and are facing charges such as unlawful assembly, assault to deter public servant from discharge of his duty and statement conducting to public mischief. The activists, however, allege that police have framed them for speaking against mining projects and for tribals' welfare.

For instance, activist Sainu Gota, (contesting from Jambia-Gatta) and Ramdas Jarate (contesting from Pendhari-Gatta) were arrested and released last month for "spreading misinformation" against police on social media. They had accused cops of detaining two tribal girls in the night and sexually violating them, a charge Gadchiroli police had refuted.

The tribal community's move is significant, mainly because the area faces left-wing extremism for decades, with mining projects and displacement of tribals from their natural habitat being prime contentious issues.

With Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 or PESA and Recognition of Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006, granting revolutionary powers in the hands of the gram sabhas, a large number of villages in the district are moving towards self-governance.

The candidates have opened bank accounts as per the State Election Commission rules and are seeking direct cash transfer from people all over Maharashtra. Lalsu's total donations have touched Rs 35,000 within 10 days.

Villagers rue that Gadchiroli and its people are deprived of development even 70 years after Independence. "The government is granting thousands of hectares of land to the capitalists and their companies at throwaway rates, but the land of families whose sustenance is dependent on it is being snatched away," says Jarate.

Whether these contestants will succeed in defeating the mighty political parties or not will be known on February 23, the day results will be out.

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