Bhubaneswar, Feb. 13: Combing operations have been intensified in Maoist strongholds of the state with focus on south Odisha districts of Malkangiri and Koraput, where the rebels have threatened to disrupt the ongoing panchayat poll process.

Voting for the first phase of the three-tier polls was held today in these areas amidst tight security.

Malkangiri superintendent of police Mitrabhanu Mohapatra said five companies of the Border Security Force, one platoon of special security battalion and three teams of the district voluntary force had been deployed in the district today to ward off the Maoist threat. "Besides, we had one policeman guarding each booth and two platoons of striking force stationed in each block. Four officers in the rank of deputy superintendent of police supervised the arrangements in each area," he said.

Stating that operation against the rebels was a continuous process, Mohapatra exuded confidence about containing the Maoist menace, especially the activities of the cadres belonging to the Andhra-Odisha Border Divisional Committee of the CPI (Maoist). "The deployment in the subsequent phases of the rural polls would be nearly two times more than what we witnessed today. We want to ensure incident-free elections by pushing the rebels on the back foot," said the officer.

Anti-Maoist operations were also stepped up in the neighbouring Koraput district, where eight personnel of the Odisha State Armed Police got killed on February 1 in a landmine blast triggered by the radicals in the Sunki valley. "Combing to flush out the rebels continues apace, while we have also made tight security arrangements for the panchayat polls," said Koraput superintendent of police Charan Singh Meena.

For the police force of both Malkangiri and Koraput, the focus of their operation against the rebels remains top commander, Ramkrishna, who is a central committee member of the banned CPI (Maoist). The police believe that the Maoist leader is hiding in the inaccessible "cut-off" area of Malkangiri after suffering injuries in a gunfight with the forces last October. As many as 24 Maoist leaders and cadres, including Ramkrishna's son Munna, were killed in that encounter that took place near the Andhra border.

" Ever since, Ramakrishna who had masterminded the kidnapping has been the forces' prime target in fighting the rebels.