With less than a fortnight left for the second Constituent Assembly (CA) elections, which are scheduled to be held on November 19, uncertainly looms large over their peaceful conduct and the framing of the Constitution. This has resulted in a lack of enthusiasm from people towards participation in the elections. People across the country also question the legitimacy of the elections, given the boycott of the CPN-Maoist-led 33-agitating political parties and their demand for holding the polls under a legitimate government.
The Maoists (also known as Naxalites) in India are encouraged by the recent success of their Nepalese counterpart, who emerged as a legitimate power center after a decade of protracted people’s war. The effects are already visible in Bihar, the neighbouring Indian State. Despite convoluted security arrangements by the Bihar Police, the partial success of the Bandh (general strike) on Oct. 30, 2006, by the Maoists indicated that they were capable enough to strike at their will.
It took the Andhra Pradesh government at least thirteen months to realize that its much-publicized honeymoon with the Naxal groups was a damp squib. Instead, the Naxals used the period as an opportunity to regroup, rearm, and consolidate in new areas.