With the security forces restricted to district headquarters, the Maoists had a free reign in mobilising and
absorbing communities. With remarkable efficiency they are fitting themselves into the very fabric of normalcy in rural areas. Their latest venture puts even the administration under their control.

In Bhojpur the Maoists are determined to make clear who is in charge: they have rapidly renamed VDCs 'Village People's Committees'. Many VDC signboards have been changed. The elected positions that fell vacant after the suspension of the local government are also being filled by former office holders instated by the rebels, among them former Bhojpur VDC chairman Durga Ale and two others in Tiwari Bhanjyang and Chyangre. A school teacher from Yangpang village, a day's walk from Bhojpur Bazar, told us that the name of VDC offices and reinstatement of officials took place at a mass meeting organised by the Maoists.

Villages are painted with Maoist slogans, flags and banners. The latter demand the election of a constituent assembly and an interim government. The presence the Kirat Workers' Party (KWP), close allies of the Maoists, is also visible. The KWP banners ask for an autonomous state. Another popular call is for a full investigation into the death of Krishna Sen.

The Maoists are trying to win the hearts and minds of the people by creating a semblance of stability. They did not have a very strong hold of the east during the seven-year insurgency, and the ceasefire has given them a chance to consolidate their political presence in these areas. The absence of the police after their posts were removed has only made their campaign smoother.

The workers of the mainstream political parties are limiting themselves to district headquarters leaving the field open to the Maoists who are slowly gaining a monopoly over the villages. "Who would risk opposing the Maoists?" asks a farmer in Gogane, a five-hour walk from district headquarters. "Everyone does what they want." He told us the rebels have even begun to help in the fields. The question is what will we harvest from what the Maoists have sown?