The reason being one. “We’re scared for our lives. At the end of the day, we are farmers. How does it matter to us what the party does or does not? We have decided never to work for the party (CPM) again,” says Majhi.

In this Maoist-dominated area, the CPM cadres are facing the brunt of the ultra-Leftists’ attacks.

“In June last year, the Maoists held a meeting in the village school premises and told us specifically to stay away from party activities and live the life of farmers. We decided to abide by the diktat then. But with the panchayat elections approaching, the CPM party began asking us to run errands. So, today, we decided to declare that we’re no more CPM cadres in order to avoid any uncertainties and misconceptions,” he adds.

Not only Majhi, the unmarked mud huts across much of the length and breadth of Bandwan block point to the same reality. No hammer-and-sickle, no red statements.

After 30 years of unchallenged power in West Bengal, the Maoists have the CPM on the run in the five police station areas of Purulia — Bandwan, Asra, Bagmundi, Balarampur and Barabazar.

With systematic precision, Maoists have been targeting the heart of the CPM’s efficient and well-oiled electioneering machinery, periodically eliminating the prominent grassroots workers or intimidating them to return to the fields.

In the past five years, Maoists have gunned down at least 17 cadres at the local committee level.

“It seems that they want their message to get across. They have not targeted any medium-level or high ranking cadres much. They are telling the grassroots cadres to lay off,” says a CPM worker in Bandwan.

In the run-up to the 2008 panchayat polls, Maoists had gunned down a prominent CPM leader and Bandwan Zonal Committee member Ganapati Bhadra on May 4 at Bhomragara village. A day later, they shot dead another leader Dubraj Hembram in the same area. Today, on the eve of the polls, the handwritten posters of Maoists state it clearly: “Participate in these elections and face the same fate as Ganapati Bhadra”. In Bhomragara, the last week’s killing is still fresh in the minds of most of the people.

“No election campaigning has been done in our village. No politician has come here. Before the previous elections in 2003, the whole village was bustling with activity. Most of us have traditionally voted for the CPM. But this time the Maoists warned us they’d cut off our hands and burn our village if we step out to vote. We can’t decide on our own. Let’s see what the collective decision is on Sunday,” says Kananbala Kar. She is the relative of Bhadra and his uncle Rabindranath Kar, who was burnt alive with his wife on the night of December 31, 2006 by the Maoists.

In the entire block, the police are conspicuous by their absence. No patrols, no pickets. The gates of the Bandwan police station are locked from inside.

Inside the station, the police personnel put on a brave front saying they have enough armed men to counter the Maoists’ attack. Locals, however, say the police don’t come when there’s a threat from ultras.

“Police protection alone isn’t enough security for us to go out and vote. We may be safe on the poll day. But after that the police will go away and we’ll have to face the wrath of the Maoists,” says a local.

The story is the same in several villages in Bandwan, such as Gangamanna, Kunchia and Madla.

At the CPM office near Bhomragara, panchayat samiti candidate Ratan Soren, however, tries to play down the Maoist threat and sticks to his line: “The elections will be held in a free and fair manner and would see a healthy turnout. This time, we are not very worried about Maoist threats.”