In the Maoist-affected district of Sukma in Chhattisgarh, a political churn is taking place. “Hamare gaon mein ‘vote-wale school’ nahin tha (earlier, our village did not have a school where a polling booth could be set up),” says Sushil Podiyam, a volunteer teacher and a native of Minpa in Sukma district. He narrated how the people in his village had voted for the first time in the 2023 Chhattisgarh assembly elections. “The villagers had never seen a voting machine before; they did not know which button to press,” says Podiyam. Ganesh Salvam, of Elmagunda village in Sukma district, says: “Even senior citizens cast their votes for the first time.” When asked if they would vote in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, both Podiyam and Salvam say that it will be decided by the villagers.