Current Affairs Topics Archive
International Relations Economics Polity & Governance Environment & Ecology Science & Technology Internal Security Geography Social Issues Art & Culture Modern History

‘Reduced to near skeleton’: Maoist party is now one-tenth of what it used to be in 2024

February 08, 2026 5 min read Internal Security GS3 (Internal Security)
On This Page ▼

What Happened

  • The Communist Party of India (Maoist), or CPI (Maoist), has been reduced to approximately one-tenth of its operational strength compared to its peak, according to security assessments as of early 2026.
  • In 2024 alone, 219 Maoist cadres were neutralised (killed), compared to just 22 in 2023 and 30 in 2022, marking a sharp escalation in counter-insurgency effectiveness.
  • The number of Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected districts has dropped from 182 across 20 states in 2013 to just 38 districts in 2024, with only three districts in Chhattisgarh classified as "most affected."
  • The CPI (Maoist) Politburo, the party's highest decision-making body, has shrunk to just four members, severely weakened by arrests, deaths in encounters, and desertions.
  • A significant leadership loss occurred in May 2025 when Nambala Keshava Rao (alias "Basavaraj"), a senior CPI (Maoist) leader, along with 27 other cadres, was killed during an encounter with security forces in the Abujhmarh forests of Chhattisgarh.

Static Topic Bridges

SAMADHAN Doctrine and Anti-LWE Strategy

The SAMADHAN doctrine, articulated by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in 2017, is India's comprehensive counter-insurgency framework against Left Wing Extremism. The acronym represents eight pillars of strategy: Smart leadership, Aggressive strategy, Motivation and training, Actionable intelligence, Dashboard-based Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Harnessing technology, Action plan for each theatre, and No access to financing.

  • The doctrine was operationalised with full force after 2019, integrating security operations with governance and development outreach.
  • Under the National Policy and Action Plan to Address LWE (2015), the government adopted a multi-pronged approach combining security measures, development interventions, and ensuring rights and entitlements of local communities.
  • Operation Prahar, launched in 2017 with primary focus on the Bastar division in Chhattisgarh, targets Maoist camps and hideouts through intelligence-led operations by Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and state police.
  • The District Reserve Guard (DRG), a force comprising surrendered Maoists and local tribal youth with knowledge of terrain and tactics, has been a key force multiplier in Chhattisgarh.
  • The government's stated goal is to achieve a "Naxal-free Bharat" by 31 March 2026, transforming "Red Corridors" into "Growth Corridors."

Connection to this news: The dramatic reduction in CPI (Maoist) strength to one-tenth of its peak is a direct outcome of the SAMADHAN doctrine's integrated approach, particularly the aggressive operations conducted since 2022 and the intelligence-led targeting of senior leadership.

Left Wing Extremism: Affected Districts and the Red Corridor

The Red Corridor refers to the contiguous belt of LWE-affected territory that once stretched across central and eastern India. At its peak, it covered forested and tribal regions from Nepal's border in the north to the Western Ghats in the south.

  • At peak (2010-2013), LWE violence affected 182 districts across 20 states; the most affected were Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Madhya Pradesh.
  • By 2024, the number of affected districts was reduced to 38, with projections indicating further reduction to 18 districts by 2025.
  • As of 2024-25, only 11 districts across states remain significantly affected, with just three in Chhattisgarh (Sukma, Bijapur, and Narayanpur in Bastar division) classified as "most affected."
  • The decline correlates with expanded road construction, mobile connectivity, banking access, and welfare scheme delivery in formerly inaccessible areas.
  • Between 2010 and 2015, 19,531 CPI (Maoist) cadres were neutralised (killed, arrested, or surrendered); from 2015 to 2025, over 10,000 Naxals surrendered.

Connection to this news: The reduction to one-tenth of peak strength and the shrinking of the Red Corridor from 182 to 38 districts represents the near-collapse of the CPI (Maoist) as a territorial insurgency, with the party's operational capability now confined primarily to pockets in the Chhattisgarh-Odisha-Jharkhand tri-junction.

CPI (Maoist) Organisational Structure

The CPI (Maoist) was formed in 2004 through the merger of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) People's War, commonly known as the People's War Group (PWG), and the Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI). It is designated as a terrorist organisation by the Government of India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967.

  • The party's organisational structure comprises the Politburo (top leadership, now reduced to 4 members), Central Committee, State Committees, Zonal Committees, and Area/Local Committees.
  • The military wing, the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), is organised into platoons, companies, and battalions; the highest formation reported was battalion-strength units in the Bastar region.
  • The party follows a "protracted people's war" strategy based on Maoist ideology, aiming to establish "base areas" in rural-tribal regions and eventually encircle cities.
  • Frontal organisations (mass organisations for students, workers, women, and cultural activities) serve as recruitment and mobilisation channels; many have been banned under UAPA.
  • Funding sources include levy/extortion from contractors, mining companies, and transporters in LWE areas (estimated at Rs 200-400 crore annually at peak); tendu leaf trade was historically a major revenue source.

Connection to this news: The shrinking of the Politburo to just four members and the killing of senior leaders like Basavaraj indicate that the CPI (Maoist) is facing an organisational collapse at the leadership level, compounding its loss of cadre strength and territorial control.

Key Facts & Data

  • CPI (Maoist) cadre strength reduced to approximately one-tenth of peak levels.
  • Maoists neutralised in 2024: 219 (up from 22 in 2023 and 30 in 2022).
  • By March 2025: 90 Maoists killed, 104 arrested, 164 surrendered.
  • LWE-affected districts: 182 (2013) to 38 (2024), with projections of 18 by 2025.
  • CPI (Maoist) Politburo: reduced to 4 members from a peak of 12-15.
  • CPI (Maoist) formed in 2004 through merger of PWG and MCCI; designated as terrorist organisation under UAPA.
  • Government target: Naxal-free India by 31 March 2026.
  • SAMADHAN doctrine: 8-pillar counter-insurgency strategy (MHA, 2017).
  • Between 2010-2015: 19,531 cadres neutralised; 2015-2025: over 10,000 surrendered.
  • Key operations: Operation Prahar (2017, Bastar focus), supported by DRG (District Reserve Guard).