New Delhi: Months ahead of the March 31, 2026 deadline to fully eliminate armed Naxalism from the country, the Centre declared that the total number of Left-wing extremism-hit districts have fallen to just 11 from 18 in March 2025 and 126 in 2013, with the “most-affected districts” also down to three from six in the last seven months.
Hailing the “historic milestone in eliminating Naxalism” in a post on X, home minister
Amit Shah said, “Under Modi ji's vision for a terror-free India, tireless counter-insurgency operations and people-centric development are shrinking the space of the left-wing extremists, leaving no place for them to hide. By March 31, 2026, India will be free from the menace of Naxalism”.
The home ministry in a separate statement said only Bijapur, Sukma and Narayanpur districts in Chhattisgarh are now most-affected by left wing extremism (LWE).
Andhra, Telangana latest states to be out of Naxal-affected list, says MHAKanker district in Chhattisgarh, West Singhbhum in Jharkhand, and Gadchiroli in Maharashtra have been shifted from the list of districts “most affected” by Left-wing extremism to “affected” category after latest review by the home ministry.
The five remaining districts in “Naxal-affected” list are Gariyaband, Dantewada, and Mohalla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki in Chhattisgarh; Balaghat in MP; and Kandhamal in Odisha. Seven districts — Alluri Sitarama Raju in Andhra Pradesh, Kalahandi and Malkangiri in Odisha, Bhadradri-Kothagudem and Mulugu in Telangana, Latehar in Jharkhand, and Nuapada in Odisha — have been removed from the MHA list.
Andhra and Telangana are now out of the LWE-affected states. Earlier, in March 2025, Kerala (Wayanad & Kannur) and West Bengal (Jhargram) were also delisted.
Operational successes in 2025 have been record-breaking, with 312 LWE cadres killed — including the CPI (Maoist) general secretary and eight other politburo or central committee members. Another 836 cadres were arrested and 1,639 surrendered.
Modi govt’s National Action Plan against LWE — focused on intelligence-based ops, targeting leadership, development of infra, choking finances, and Centre-state coordination — has delivered major setbacks to the movement once dubbed India’s “biggest internal security challenge.”
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Bharti Jain is senior editor with The Times of India, New Delhi. ...
Read MoreBharti Jain is senior editor with The Times of India, New Delhi. She has been writing on security matters since 1996. Having covered the Union home ministry, security agencies, Election Commission and the ‘prime’ political beat, the Congress, for The Economic Times all these years, she moved to TOI in August 2012. Her repertoire of news stories delves into the whole gamut of issues related to terrorism and internal strife, besides probing strategic affairs in India’s neighbourhood.
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