Ranchi/Patna: Smoking out Naxals from their dens in Jharkhand and Bihar, part of the red corridor, has been somewhat successful in this election in a contrast to previous polls, the top police brass in the two states say, but they feel the number of central forces deployed to deal with the menace is inadequate. Given the magnitude of the problem, concerted planning has shown results in the states as the initial phases of the general election in Maoist-hit areas completed without major incidents. Maoists, however, have been successful in targeting security forces and election officials in other states: Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.

The election this year has so far been relatively peaceful in Bihar and Jharkhand. During the 2014 polls, Maoists blew up a vehicle carrying polling personnel in Dumka in Jharkhand. Eight people died. In Bihar, around the same time, four people were killed and 20 injured in a Maoist attack. As elections approach, extremism in Bihar and Jharkhand, which was carved out in November 2000, becomes a cause for worry for police and administration officials. The BJP-led Jharkhand has to its advantage 22 battalions of Central Para Military Forces (CPMF), whereas Bihar has 9.5 battalions, top-level official sources in the two states told PTI. The Election Commission has allotted about 200 companies of central forces to Jharkhand for each phase of polling and about 150 to Bihar, the sources said.