Colombo, Dec 14 (IANS) India’s long-running campaign against Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) has entered a decisive phase, moving beyond containment towards what officials describe as irreversible rollback, media reported.   

The reported killing of senior Maoist commander Madvi Hidma has emerged as a key milestone in this transition, symbolising both operational success and a broader policy shift from insurgency management to integration, Daily Mirror said.

Over the past decade, the footprint of Naxalism has contracted sharply, the report noted.

Citing official assessments, the report notes that the number of LWE-affected districts has fallen from around 126 in 2014 to nearly a dozen core districts by 2024–25.

This decline has been attributed to a coordinated national strategy that strengthened intelligence, improved inter-agency coordination, and restored the writ of the state in remote forested regions once dominated by Maoist groups, adding that the security gains have been significant.

Government data referenced by the report indicates that hundreds of Maoist cadres were neutralised in 2023 and 2024, with more than a thousand arrested and a similar number surrendering during the same period.

Maoist-related violent incidents have reportedly dropped by nearly half over the last decade, pointing to a movement that is territorially squeezed and organisationally weakened.

Within this context, the reported elimination of Madvi Hidma in an encounter in Andhra Pradesh in November 2025 stands out.

Described by police officials as a top Maoist Commander and Central Committee member of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), Hidma was associated with some of the deadliest attacks on security forces in the Dandakaranya region.

The report quotes senior officers as calling his death a “watershed”, dealing a severe blow to Maoist command structures and morale.

However, it underlines that the relative success against Naxalism rests not only on security operations but also on development and rehabilitation.

Expansion of roads, mobile connectivity, banking services and welfare schemes in tribal belts has begun to address the governance gaps that once fuelled insurgency.

Equally important has been the surrender-cum-rehabilitation policy, offering financial aid, housing and livelihood support to former militants.

While analysts cited by the report, it suggest Naxalism is on its “last legs”, they caution that lasting peace will depend on sustained development, protection of Adivasi (tribal) rights and preventing fresh alienation, even as the Narendra Modi-led Union government aims at a Maoist-free India by 2026.