Chhattisgarh Lok Sabha Polls 2024: Electoral fervour has gripped the nation as the largest democracy in the world votes for the general elections in 2024. Thousands of candidates are contending in the seven-phased elections with each other, asking for votes from the people while campaigning on the ground. Despite the excitement among the candidates, some polling booths remain inaccessible due to their geographical features. Chhattisgarh, which will witness elections on 24,000 booths in the second phase across the 11 Lok Sabha constituencies, has 400 such booths. Surrounded by dense forests, rivers and hills, the polling parties will have to face many wild animals in these regions which include bears, leopards and elephants.
In Dhamtari district alone, 34 villages fall in the Tiger Reserve area. Witnessing leopards and bears is common among the people of this region. Similarly, more than 150 villages of Surguja, Raigarh, Korba and Bilaspur parliamentary seats are affected by elephants. In the 2023 assembly elections, ECI had to call in the forest employees in these areas to smoothly conduct voting.
In the Sihawa assembly of the Kanker Lok Sabha constituency, there are 259 polling stations situated in an area known for its roaming elephants, leopards, and bears. Around 35 to 40 elephants from the Sikaser group were seen moving through this region in the past five to six months. To ensure the safety of voters and polling parties in these areas, measures are being taken to monitor them using CCTV cameras and webcasting. The presence of these elephants poses a risk, particularly in the evenings and nights when they tend to venture into villages, potentially endangering both voters and polling teams.
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Over 50 Leopards, Sixty Bears
Varun Jain, Deputy Director of the Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve, pointed out that there are 34 villages in Risgaon, Asli Kanhar, and Sitanadi ranges in Dhamtari district where wild animals roam. Recent camera footage shows around 50 leopards and more than 60 bears in this area. The increasing conflict between humans and elephants is becoming a major problem from North to South Chhattisgarh, posing a significant challenge to the democratic processes.
Elephants Also Pose Serious Challenge
Wandering elephants also pose serious challenges in these areas. Kalavati Singh, who used to lead the local Gram Panchayat in Chiniya village of Balrampur district, is a recent victim of this danger. On April 4, while out gathering Mahua, he was fatally injured by elephants.
Over 150 villages across four parliamentary seats in North and Central Chhattisgarh—Surguja, Raigarh, Korba, and Bilaspur—are grappling with the impact of wild elephants. With no crops in the fields currently, elephants are increasingly moving toward inhabited areas. Authorities are gearing up to enhance surveillance during the elections to address the situation.
(story original written by Ramakrishna Dongre for Jagran.com)