diff --git a/npm/pkg/dataplane/dataplane.go b/npm/pkg/dataplane/dataplane.go
index 8958d58321..52865e46c6 100644
--- a/npm/pkg/dataplane/dataplane.go
+++ b/npm/pkg/dataplane/dataplane.go
@@ -18,11 +18,12 @@ import (
 const (
 	reconcileDuration = time.Duration(5 * time.Minute)
 
-	contextBackground      = "BACKGROUND"
-	contextApplyDP         = "APPLY-DP"
-	contextAddNetPol       = "ADD-NETPOL"
-	contextAddNetPolBootup = "BOOTUP-ADD-NETPOL"
-	contextDelNetPol       = "DEL-NETPOL"
+	contextBackground              = "BACKGROUND"
+	contextApplyDP                 = "APPLY-DP"
+	contextAddNetPol               = "ADD-NETPOL"
+	contextAddNetPolBootup         = "BOOTUP-ADD-NETPOL"
+	contextAddNetPolCIDRPrecaution = "ADD-NETPOL-CIDR-PRECAUTION"
+	contextDelNetPol               = "DEL-NETPOL"
 )
 
 var (
@@ -471,6 +472,29 @@ func (dp *DataPlane) addPolicies(netPols []*policies.NPMNetworkPolicy) error {
 		}
 	}
 
+	if !util.IsWindowsDP() {
+		for _, netPol := range netPols {
+			if !(netPol.HasCIDRRules() && dp.ipsetMgr.PreviousApplyFailed()) {
+				continue
+			}
+
+			if inBootupPhase {
+				// this should never happen because bootup phase is for windows, but just in case, we don't want to applyDataplaneNow() or else there will be a deadlock on dp.applyInfo
+				msg := fmt.Sprintf("[DataPlane] [%s] at risk of improperly applying a CIDR policy which is removed then readded", contextAddNetPolCIDRPrecaution)
+				klog.Warning(msg)
+				metrics.SendErrorLogAndMetric(util.DaemonDataplaneID, msg)
+				break
+			}
+
+			// prevent #2977
+			if err := dp.applyDataPlaneNow(contextAddNetPolCIDRPrecaution); err != nil {
+				return err // nolint:wrapcheck // unnecessary to wrap error since the provided context is included in the error
+			}
+
+			break
+		}
+	}
+
 	// 1. Add IPSets and apply for each NetPol.
 	// Apply IPSets after each NetworkPolicy unless ApplyInBackground=true and we're in the bootup phase (only happens for Windows currently)
 	for _, netPol := range netPols {
diff --git a/npm/pkg/dataplane/dataplane_test.go b/npm/pkg/dataplane/dataplane_test.go
index c5bc3c4d37..fd32c547f3 100644
--- a/npm/pkg/dataplane/dataplane_test.go
+++ b/npm/pkg/dataplane/dataplane_test.go
@@ -221,6 +221,33 @@ func TestRemovePolicy(t *testing.T) {
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 }
 
+func TestHandle2977(t *testing.T) {
+	if util.IsWindowsDP() {
+		return
+	}
+
+	metrics.InitializeAll()
+
+	calls := append(getBootupTestCalls(), getAddPolicyTestCallsForDP(&testPolicyobj)...)
+	calls = append(calls, policies.GetRemovePolicyTestCalls(&testPolicyobj)...)
+	calls = append(calls, ipsets.GetApplyIPSetsFailureTestCalls()...)
+	calls = append(calls, ipsets.GetApplyIPSetsTestCalls(nil, getAffectedIPSets(&testPolicyobj))...)
+	calls = append(calls, getAddPolicyTestCallsForDP(&testPolicyobj)...)
+	ioshim := common.NewMockIOShim(calls)
+	defer ioshim.VerifyCalls(t, calls)
+	dp, err := NewDataPlane("testnode", ioshim, dpCfg, nil)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	err = dp.AddPolicy(&testPolicyobj)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	err = dp.RemovePolicy(testPolicyobj.PolicyKey)
+	require.Error(t, err)
+
+	err = dp.AddPolicy(&testPolicyobj)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+}
+
 func TestUpdatePolicy(t *testing.T) {
 	metrics.InitializeAll()
 
diff --git a/npm/pkg/dataplane/ipsets/ipsetmanager.go b/npm/pkg/dataplane/ipsets/ipsetmanager.go
index b57bf67e91..e68247f071 100644
--- a/npm/pkg/dataplane/ipsets/ipsetmanager.go
+++ b/npm/pkg/dataplane/ipsets/ipsetmanager.go
@@ -79,6 +79,13 @@ func NewIPSetManager(iMgrCfg *IPSetManagerCfg, ioShim *common.IOShim) *IPSetMana
 	}
 }
 
+// PreviousApplyFailed is only relevant for Linux right now since Windows doesn't track failures
+func (iMgr *IPSetManager) PreviousApplyFailed() bool {
+	iMgr.Lock()
+	defer iMgr.Unlock()
+	return iMgr.consecutiveApplyFailures > 0
+}
+
 /*
 Reconcile removes empty/unreferenced sets from the cache.
 For ApplyAllIPSets mode, those sets are added to the toDeleteCache.
diff --git a/npm/pkg/dataplane/ipsets/testutils_linux.go b/npm/pkg/dataplane/ipsets/testutils_linux.go
index 94a59f4f45..3f0ef0117d 100644
--- a/npm/pkg/dataplane/ipsets/testutils_linux.go
+++ b/npm/pkg/dataplane/ipsets/testutils_linux.go
@@ -11,6 +11,12 @@ var (
 		Stdout:   "success",
 		ExitCode: 0,
 	}
+
+	fakeRestoreFailureCommand = testutils.TestCmd{
+		Cmd:      ipsetRestoreStringSlice,
+		Stdout:   "failure",
+		ExitCode: 1,
+	}
 )
 
 func GetApplyIPSetsTestCalls(toAddOrUpdateIPSets, toDeleteIPSets []*IPSetMetadata) []testutils.TestCmd {
@@ -20,6 +26,16 @@ func GetApplyIPSetsTestCalls(toAddOrUpdateIPSets, toDeleteIPSets []*IPSetMetadat
 	return []testutils.TestCmd{fakeRestoreSuccessCommand}
 }
 
+func GetApplyIPSetsFailureTestCalls() []testutils.TestCmd {
+	return []testutils.TestCmd{
+		fakeRestoreFailureCommand,
+		fakeRestoreFailureCommand,
+		fakeRestoreFailureCommand,
+		fakeRestoreFailureCommand,
+		fakeRestoreFailureCommand,
+	}
+}
+
 func GetResetTestCalls() []testutils.TestCmd {
 	return []testutils.TestCmd{
 		{Cmd: []string{"ipset", "list", "--name"}, PipedToCommand: true},
diff --git a/npm/pkg/dataplane/ipsets/testutils_windows.go b/npm/pkg/dataplane/ipsets/testutils_windows.go
index f9235beffe..1a14d4667a 100644
--- a/npm/pkg/dataplane/ipsets/testutils_windows.go
+++ b/npm/pkg/dataplane/ipsets/testutils_windows.go
@@ -27,6 +27,10 @@ func GetApplyIPSetsTestCalls(_, _ []*IPSetMetadata) []testutils.TestCmd {
 	return []testutils.TestCmd{}
 }
 
+func GetApplyIPSetsFailureTestCalls() []testutils.TestCmd {
+	return []testutils.TestCmd{}
+}
+
 func GetResetTestCalls() []testutils.TestCmd {
 	return []testutils.TestCmd{}
 }
diff --git a/npm/pkg/dataplane/policies/policy.go b/npm/pkg/dataplane/policies/policy.go
index b411a7407b..646a03633a 100644
--- a/npm/pkg/dataplane/policies/policy.go
+++ b/npm/pkg/dataplane/policies/policy.go
@@ -42,6 +42,15 @@ func NewNPMNetworkPolicy(netPolName, netPolNamespace string) *NPMNetworkPolicy {
 	}
 }
 
+func (netPol *NPMNetworkPolicy) HasCIDRRules() bool {
+	for _, set := range netPol.RuleIPSets {
+		if set.Metadata.Type == ipsets.CIDRBlocks {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
 func (netPol *NPMNetworkPolicy) AllPodSelectorIPSets() []*ipsets.TranslatedIPSet {
 	return append(netPol.PodSelectorIPSets, netPol.ChildPodSelectorIPSets...)
 }