New Delhi: As the March 31, 2026 deadline for making the country “Naxal-free” approaches, security forces are in the final leg of intelligence-based operations to get the remaining ‘Big Four’ of the CPI(Maoist) leadership — three politburo-cum-central committee members and one central committee member — and an estimated “300-350 regular, uniformed cadres of concern” still out there in the jungles.“Time is running out for these leaders and full-time cadres spread across Chhattisgarh (around 200-250) and totalling no more than 10-20 each in Telangana, Jharkhand, Odisha and Maharashtra. They must choose between eschewing the path of violence and being confronted by security forces in their hideouts across the Indravati national park area, small pockets of Jharkhand, and the inter-state borders of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra and Telangana,” Bastar Range Inspector General P Sundarraj told TOI.There are only four surviving politburo (PB) and central committee (CC) members, of which two are not known to be active. Thippiri Tirupathi alias Devji is the de-facto No. 1 though not formally anointed as the CPI(Maoist) general secretary. Former general secretary Muppalla Laxman Rao alias Ganpathy is in his late seventies and supposedly ailing.Misir Besra — who is heading the CPI(Maoist) Eastern Regional Bureau, since his predecessor Prashant Bose’s arrest in 2021 and is the only non-Telugu face in PB — is currently operating in Jharkhand, where his aide and CC member Patiram Manjhi alias Anal Da was killed only a few days ago. Forces are already on Besra’s trail.Though some state police have a fifth CC member — Asim Mondal — in their “active list”, opinion is divided on whether he indeed is part of the CC. Devji, though currently No. 1 in CPI( Maoist), is debilitated by the series of killings and surrenders by his PB/CC colleagues, senior commanders and armed cadres in the past year or so. “There have been multiple public appeals for surrender, including at the political level, but Devji may prefer to go down fighting, holding on to Maoist ideology,” said a senior officer.Between Jan 1, 2025 to Jan 22, 2026, a dozen CC members, including general secretary and politburo member Basavaraju, were neutralised by the counter-Naxal forces, and five opted to surrender.There are still two senior commanders — Pappa Rao and Prabhakar, both members of the Dandkarenya special zonal committee (DKSZC) — on the loose.They are said to be active in the inter-state border of Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, covering Kanker, Gadchiroli and south of Indravati.