Archive · 15 Dec 2025
India's Anti-Maoist Campaign Shifts to Consolidation Phase
India has been fighting against a group called the Maoists for a long time.
Recently, they have been very successful in reducing the power of these groups.
The government has been working hard to improve security, build roads, and provide better services to the people in the areas where the Maoists used to be strong.
They have also been helping former Maoists to leave the group and start new lives.
One of the most important recent successes was the killing of a top Maoist leader named Madvi Hidma.
This has made the Maoists much weaker.
The government wants to completely stop the Maoist problem by 2026, but they know that they need to keep working on development and protecting the rights of tribal people to make sure the peace lasts.
India's campaign against Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) has shifted from containment to consolidation, aiming for an irreversible rollback.
The killing of senior Maoist commander Madvi Hidma in November 2025 marked a significant operational success and a broader policy shift.
The number of LWE-affected districts has decreased from 126 in 2014 to around a dozen by 2024-25.
Security gains include the neutralisation, arrest, and surrender of hundreds of Maoist cadres in 2023-2024, with a significant drop in violent incidents.
The government's strategy combines security operations with development efforts, including road expansion, mobile connectivity, and welfare schemes in tribal belts.
- Who
- Indian government and security forces
- What
- Shift in strategy from containment to consolidation in the fight against Left-Wing Extremism (LWE)
- When
- The shift is ongoing, with significant developments in 2023-2025
- Where
- Primarily in remote forested regions of India, with a focus on tribal belts and LWE-affected districts
- Why
- To achieve a Maoist-free India by 2026, through a combination of security operations, development, and rehabilitation efforts
- LWE-affected districts in 2014
- 126
- LWE-affected districts in 2024-25
- 12
- Maoist cadres neutralised in 2023-24
- Hundreds
- Maoist cadres arrested in 2023-24
- More than a thousand
- Maoist cadres surrendered in 2023-24
- A similar number to those arrested
- Decrease in Maoist-related violent incidents
- Nearly half over the last decade
- Target year for Maoist-free India
- 2026