Suspected Maoist rebels have killed 10 paramilitary troops and injured 11 others in an ambush in central India ahead of next week's general elections, police say.

More than 125 Maoists, armed with AK-47s, attacked Central Reserve Police Forces(CRPF)patrolling Chintagufa, a forested area about 445km south of Raipur in Chattisgarh state.

"It was an ambush. Ten CRPF men, including a deputy commandant, were martyred and eight other personnel received bullet wounds in a three-hour-long gun battle," Rahul Sharma, the local superintendent of police, said on Saturday.

The Maoists, who are very active across much of India, claim to be fighting on behalf of peasants, farmers and labourers, demanding land and jobs. They are active in almost half of India's 28 states.

The rebels have called for people to boycott the upcoming polls to elect a new parliament.

Thousands have died as a result of the Maoist insurgency in India. The rebels are also known as Naxalites, derived from Naxalbari - a village in North Bengal where peasants rose up in an uprising in 1967, triggering a countrywide upheaval.

Manmohan Singh, India's prime minister, has described the insurgency as one of the greatest threats to India's domestic security.