For Lok Sabha polls, majority of central security personnel likely to be deployed in state

Jammu and Kashmir is likely to have the second highest number of deployments.

New Delhi:

The Election Commission is expected to deploy 3.40 lakh Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel along with state police forces for the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections and assembly polls in four states starting on April 19, officials said.

Up to 92,000 CAPF personnel will be deployed in West Bengal, a region prone to political violence, where elections will be held in seven phases. Militant-hit Jammu and Kashmir is followed by 63,500 people and voting will be held in five phases.

As many as 36,000 personnel will be deployed in the Naxalite-affected state of Chhattisgarh, where voting will be held in three phases.

According to official sources from the Election Commission, the Election Commission took into consideration the requests made by the chief electoral officers of the states and decided to deploy up to about 3,400 CAPF companies in all states and union territories in a phased manner to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections. development theory.

CAPF has approximately 100 employees. The entire troop mobilization work will be completed in the next few days.

Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim will also be held concurrently with the Lok Sabha polls.

A maximum of 920 CAPF companies are expected to be deployed in West Bengal in a phased manner, followed by 635 companies in Jammu and Kashmir, 360 companies in Chhattisgarh, 295 companies in Bihar, 252 companies in Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh There are 250 companies in each state, Jharkhand and Punjab, the official said.

The CAPF includes the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seemabal (SSB) and State Security Guards ( NSG).

The total strength of all CAPFs is approximately 1 million.

Other states where large numbers of CAPFs are expected to be deployed include: 200 companies each in Gujarat, Manipur, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, 175 companies in Odisha, and 160 companies each in Assam and Telangana. companies, 150 companies in Maharashtra, 113 companies in Madhya Pradesh, 100 companies in Tripura and other places.

Troops deployed in West Bengal, left-wing extremist-affected areas and Jammu and Kashmir have reached their respective destinations.

Under the plan, around 2,000 companies were mobilized starting March 1 as part of pre-poll deployment in sensitive and ultra-sensitive constituencies.

Another official said about 150,000 people will travel by road and rail as part of the mobilization.

The Railways has also provided adequate rolling stock and all appropriate facilities on board the trains thereby ensuring smooth and timely execution of election duties by the troops.

CAPF personnel are being deployed to perform poll-related duties such as area control, confidence-building measures, polling day-related duties, guarding of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and fortified chamber centres, security of counting centres, etc., officials said. election.

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