the naxalites operate in 60 districts in india, mainly in the states of odisha (5 affected districts), jharkhand (14 affected districts), bihar (5 affected districts), andhra pradesh, chhattisgarh (ten affected districts), madhya pradesh (8 affected districts), maharashtra (2 affected districts) and west bengal (8 affected district). in west bengal areas west of howrah are affected by the insurgency. chhattisgarh is the epicentre of the conflict (2007).