1,500 companies of paramilitary forces required for elections

Wednesday, 23/11/2016

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Chandigarh : As many as 1,500 companies of paramilitary forces would be required for deployment at all 22,600 polling stations in Punjab during the next year Assembly polls, according to an assessment by state election office here.

The assessment comes close on the heels of political parties seeking deployment of paramilitary forces at all polling booths.

“Two proposals have been sent to the Election Commission of India (ECI) regarding deployment of central forces. In the first, if Central forces are deployed at all the polling stations, then we will require 1,500 companies (60 security personnel per company),” a senior official said on Tuesday.

“In the second proposal, a requirement of 845 paramilitary forces companies to cover vulnerable and critical polling stations, he said, adding till October, 6,000 polling stations were identified as vulnerable and 150 as critical.

“The proposals will be presented before the EC for consideration in a meeting of the chief electoral officers on November 25. Following which it will take a call on deployment of central forces in Punjab,” he said.

Last month, when a nine-member ECI team had reviewed preparations for the assembly polls, Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi had assured that the commission will provide adequate paramilitary forces to Punjab and “not allow any nexus at the local level to influence the elections.”

Political parties had told the ECI team that police officials were generally under the “control” of local politicians who could “influence the election process.”

Therefore, paramilitary forces should be deployed at polling stations instead of local police, the parties had demanded.

Besides guarding polling stations, the central forces will also be required to support law enforcement agencies the Narcotics Control Bureau, and quick response and static surveillance teams, the official said.

During the 2012 Assembly polls, Punjab was provided 225 companies of central forces against the demand of 450 companies.

Meanwhile, the state election office has also asked the state police to nab all proclaimed offenders (POs), gangsters and bail jumpers as early as possible, official said.

In an action plan submitted to the state election office for nabbing criminals, the state police has said it was taking several steps including review against gangsters, POs at the police station levels.

The police is also collecting and generating intelligence to arrest criminals, checking money flow to gangs operating in the state, taking action with regard to disposing of ‘benami’ properties of gangsters, avoiding parole to criminals till elections, the official said, adding there are 30 gangs in Punjab comprising 500 members and most of them were in jail.

To prevent supply and misuse of drugs during polls, the Narcotics Control Bureau in its action plan to the state election office has proposed to have check posts at inter-state borders, share information and intelligence with bordering states and freeze properties of drug smugglers, the official said.

Punjab Assembly polls early next year will see AAP making its electoral debut making it a triangular contest between Congress, SAD-BJP alliance and the party for political supremacy.