Now, only 3 districts most affected by Naxalism: Govt

The number of districts most affected by Naxalism have been brought down from six to three. Now, only Bijapur, Sukma and Narayanpur districts of Chhattisgarh remain among the districts most affected by Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

According to the ministry, districts in the category of LWE-affected districts has also been brought down from 18 to 11. The decreasein the number has come at a time when the Centre’s deadline for eradicating Naxalism (March 31, 2026), is just five months away.

In 2025 alone, 312 LWE cadres have been eliminated, including CPI (Maoist) General Secretary and eight other Polit Bureau/Central Committee members of the outlawed CPI (Maoist). Besides, 836 LWE cadres have been arrested and 1,639 have surrendered and joined the mainstream.

Notably, the Central Committee member Mallojula Venugopal Rao (alias Bhupati) surrendered before the Maharashtra Police in Bhamragad, Gadchiroli. The 70-year-old Bhupati, carrying a Rs 6-crore bounty on his head, is known to be a key person behind the extremist movement.

Other insurgents who surrendered along with him included two state zonal committee members, 10 divisional committee members and cadres from Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.

With Bhupati’s surrender, now only nine key central committee members remain absconding.