Armed Maoists take away AP village election nomination papers

Cadres of banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) snatched nomination papers filed for posts of sarpanchs and ward members in four villages in G Madugula mandal of the Visakhapatnam agency area today.
According to the police, as election officials were getting ready to scrutinise nominations filed at Biram village, a group of about 15 Maoists, some of them armed, took away nomination papers saying that they had called for a boycott of elections.
Special police teams have been pressed into service to nab the culprits, the police said.
Local people could nominate one person among them and make him or her their sarpanch, the Maoists had reportedly told the villagers.

Since the beginning of this month, Maoists attacked Congress leaders and looted their houses, even as they warned political activists not to file nominations, urging people to boycott elections.
Six panchayats in three mandals where Maoists are strong have not received a single nomination for the posts of sarpanchs or ward members.
No nomination was received for Jerrela, Mondigedda and Batchala in G K Veedhi mandal, Balapam and Kudusara in Chintapalli mandal, as well as a village panchayat in Pedabayalu mandal.