Maoist leadership crumbles as March 31 deadline nears

With the Centre’s deadline of March 31, 2026 to wipe out Naxalism from the country just six months away, the depleted top leadership of the ultras is finding itself under immense strain. Several senior central committee members are either holed up in the dense forests of Abujhmad in Chhattisgarh — straddling the borders with Maharashtra and Telangana — or have already been eliminated by security forces.

At present, only 10 central committee members remain in hiding, following the killing of veteran Maoists Katta Ramachandra Reddy and Kadari Satyanarayana Reddy in a gunfight with security personnel in Abujhmad on September 22.

Amid all this, now the Naxal leadership is facing an existential crisis, as a section of central committee members, several of them getting old and also suffering from injuries, is not too keen on taking on police and security personnel and are said to be open to the option of surrendering and holding peace talks with the authorities.

However, younger cadres are pushing to prolong the fight, even as security forces have managed to make significant inroads into their safe zones and managed to isolate them from the villagers, whom they had been influencing both emotionally and forcibly, into supporting them logistically and in terms of recruitment.

Recently, one of the key members of the Central Committee of the CPI (Maoist), Mallujulla Venugopal @ Sonu @ Abhay, had sent feelers to Chhattisgarh police, showing inclination for holding peace talks and possible surrender. Simultaneously though, another missive from the Telangana State Committee of the CPI (Maoist), contradicted Abhay’s stand.

Though police authorities are maintaining a studied silence over these developments, the apparent contradiction within the Maoists’ ranks seems quite apparent.

Moreover, within its ranks too, there seems to be a tussle going on between Telugu -speaking and Hindi-speaking Maoists. Of the 10 surviving fugitives, six are from Telangana, while two each hail from Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. The Hindi-speaking leadership is reportedly reluctant to accept dominance by leaders from Telangana, deepening internal discord, senior police officials said.

Moreover, in May, Chhattisgarh police and CRPF had jointly successfully conducted Operation Black Forest in Karreguttalu Hills (KGH) of Abujhmad region of Chhattisgarh, in which in a span of 21 days, 27 Naxals, including their top leader Nambala Keshava Rao had been killed. This operation marked the longest continuous anti-Naxal campaign in Karreguttalu Hills, which for long was known as an impregnable hideout of ultras, thus making it a strategically sensitive zone.

The success of this operation not only broke the back of Naxal leadership, but also led to injuries to several of its cadres. To top this, in the last few week, a slew of their key leaders have been killed by security forces.

On September 12, a top Naxal leader, Modem Balakrishna, was shot dead in a gun battle with security forces in Chhattisgarh. Pothula Padmavathi (known as Kalpana), Mynakka, Mainabai and Sujatha, a senior-most underground leader of the banned CPI (Maoist), had surrendered before the Telangana DGP on September 13. She had been underground for 43 years.

Maoist Sahadev Soren was killed in an exchange of fire with security forces at Karando in Jharkhand on September 15. One of the top CCM members, Soren was killed along with two of his comrades. He carried a reward of Rs 1 crore on his head. Another key Naxal leader, Nambala Keshav Rao, aka Basavaraju, was earlier shot dead in a gunfight with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Gariyaband on May 21 this year.

With the killing of Katta Ramachandra Reddy and Kadari Satyanarayana Reddy on September 22, the remaining absconding Central Committee members include: Muppala Laxman Rao (ailing), Mallojulla Venugopal, Thippiri Thirupathi (thought to be the new general secretary), Pulluri Prasad Rao, Paka Hanumanthulu, Pusunuri Narahari (all from Telangana), Misir Besra and Anal Da (Jharkhand), and Madavi Hidma and Majjidev (Chhattisgarh). Interestingly though, while the scenario may seem bleak for the Reds, during a recent brainstorming session in which several top intelligence officials participated, it was indicated that security forces are still facing challenges in penetrating certain pockets in Abujhmad region, especially zones bordering Maharashtra.

Being no cakewalk, the pressure of meeting the deadline may actually be telling on security forces, noted a senior police officer pointing out that by the said date, those who don’t surrender may be eliminated.