Overview

• The Maoist Politburo has shrunk from 11–12 members in the 2000s to just three active figures: Mallojula Venugopal Rao (Sonu), Thippiri Thirupathi (Devoji) and Misir Besra (Sagar).
• Security forces killed general secretary Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju, on May 21 and Central Committee member Tentu Laxmi Narasimha Chalam, alias Sudhakar, on June 5, followed by the elimination of Mailarapu Adelu, alias Bhaskar, on June 6.
• The Central Committee has been reduced to between 14 and 17 members from 42 in 2007–08 as arrests, casualties and surrenders mount.
• The group’s armed strength has declined to about 1,300 from 1,700 two years ago with daily surrenders in Chhattisgarh supplying vital intelligence.
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah has set a March 2026 deadline to eliminate Left Wing Extremism through intensified operations and development initiatives.