The Union government is making substantial progress in its mission to eliminate Left Wing Extremism (LWE), commonly known as Naxalism, by its March 31, 2026 deadline. Officials report that the CPI (Maoist) party’s top leadership has been severely weakened, with only three politburo members remaining, and just two of them are actively involved. The third politburo member, Mupalla Lakshman Rao, also known as Ganapathy, a highly wanted individual, is no longer considered active. This assessment is based on intelligence gathered by security forces, particularly in Chhattisgarh.
During its peak operational period between 2003 and 2010, the CPI (Maoist) boasted a central committee of around 40-45 members, including 10-14 politburo members. The politburo serves as the party’s ultimate decision-making body. Recently, Mallojula Venugopal, also known as Bhupathi, a politburo member, surrendered along with approximately 60 other cadres to the Maharashtra chief minister. This event underscores the internal divisions within the party, especially following the death of its general secretary, Basavaraju, in May.
The internal strife was highlighted by Bhupathi’s September proposal for a ceasefire, which was met with a factional response branding it a personal statement rather than a party stance. The surrender of Bhupathi and numerous cadres further indicates this growing discord.
Currently, security forces identify Thippary Tirupati (alias Sanjeev) and Misir Besra (alias Bhaskar) as the two active politburo members. Besra is reportedly in poor health due to diabetes. The remaining six central committee members are identified as Pullari Prasad Rao (alias Chandranna), Ganesh Uikhey (alias Rajesh Tiwari), Anil Da (alias Tufan da), Mall Raja Reddy (alias Sangram), Ramdev (alias Majidev), and Madhvi Hidma.
In line with the government’s commitment to eradicating Naxalism, anti-naxal operations are actively ongoing across several states, with a primary focus on Chhattisgarh. This year alone, one politburo member and eight central committee members have been killed, while two others, including Sujata (wife of the late Maoist leader Kishenji), have surrendered.
The impact of these operations is evident in the reduction of Naxal-affected districts. The number of districts classified as highly affected has dropped from six to three – Bijapur, Sukma, and Narayanpur, all located in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region. Kanker (Chhattisgarh), West Singhbhum (Jharkhand), and Gadchiroli (Maharashtra) have been removed from this list. Furthermore, the number of LWE-affected districts has decreased to 11 from 18.
The government’s coordinated efforts, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, have resulted in significant operational successes. This year, 312 LWE cadres have been eliminated, 836 arrested, and 1,639 have surrendered. This marks a substantial reduction from 2013, when 126 districts across various states reported Naxal-related violence, a figure that has now been reduced to just 11 districts by March 2025.