Chatra graffiti speak of change

Simaria (Chatra): Graffiti on mud walls in the remote villages of Simaria constituency in Maoist-hit Chatra district tell a different story, of courage.
The graffiti in Lavalong and Tandwa blocks don’t scream Maoist threats and poll boycott calls. Instead, they have messages — like ‘Chacha Chachi mat ghabrana, vote dene zarur jana (Don’t be afraid to caste your vote)’ and ‘Hum bharat ki naari hain, vote dene ke adhikari hain (we are citizens of India and we have the right to vote)’ — speak of change.
These slogans were not part of the Election Commission’s effort but an initiative of former cadre of Maoist and its splinter groups who wanted villagers to come out for polling.
The effect was evident as 61.42% voters turned up this time as against 53.75% polling in 2009 assembly election and 44.71% turn up in 2005 assembly elections.
The change was possible not because of Maoists loosing turf but because two important candidates in the fray — Ganesh Ganjhu of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha Prajatantrik and Rajkumari Devi of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha.
While Ganjhu is a well known leader of the Tritiya Prastuti committee (TPC), breakaway faction of the CPI (Maoists), Rajkumari Devi is the wife of Guddu Ganjhu, chief of Jharkhand prastuti committee (JPC), which also works against the Maoists.
The rebel leaders had made amicable adjustments in which even the Maoists decided to cooperate.
Of the 10 hyper sensitive polling booths in Simaria block, the rebels had divided their share. The booth No. 108 set up at Upgraded Middle School in Torar is known to under JPC’s dominance as a result of which Rajkumari Devi of JMM secured good votes, without interference of any other rebel group.
Hardly 10km from Torar, booth Nos 110 and 111 at Chope are dominated by Maoists where villagers turned up in good number to prevent their rival gangs emerging prominently in the polls.
More than 40km from Simaria, one of the highly Maoist dominated blocks, Lavalong too recorded a huge turnout of voters.
Lavalong, though considered a Maoist bastion has slipped to the hands of TPC and a local leader, Ganesh Ganjhu, is in the fray. By 11am, booth No. 22 at Lavalong witnessed 491 polls out of the list of 982 electors.