First-time voters rejoice in Maoist rebel heartland

In remote Indian forests home to a decades-old Maoist insurgency battling government rule, few in farmer Ajay Kumaroya's village had ever dared anger the guerrillas by voting. But when the 23-year-old rose at dawn, Kumaroya found dozens of his neighbours already queueing at the polling station as general elections began yesterday, defying the insurgents to exercise their democratic right. Known as Naxalites, the rebels have been fighting since 1967 for what they claim is for the rural poor -- and Chhattisgarh state's Bastar district, an area bigger than Belgium, was once their key heartland. But India has deployed tens of thousands of security personnel to crush them, and the crowd at Kumaroya's village reflects government efforts to boost infrastructure and connect villages like his to the rest of the country. "I am here for Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Kumaroya told AFP. "If he wins, our roads will get better." Poll workers rolled out a red carpet outside the booth for the people of Dugeli village, showering flower petals on the first few voters to enter. Fellow farmer Pradeep Kumar Karma, 27 said he was voting for Modi to "solve our Naxal problem", he said. "If that happens, we will prosper with tourism and investments", he added.