ECI may increase security personnel in Bengal to hold assembly polls peacefully

Eyeing to conduct the comingassembly polls in West Bengal peacefully, the ECI is mullingthe option of deploying around 25 per cent more securitypersonnel than that used in holding the 2019 Lok Sabhaelection, an official of the Chief Electoral Officers officesaid on Thursday.The full bench of the Election Commission of IndiaECI, which is currently in the state to review preparednessfor the assembly polls due in April-May, is also thinking ofdeploying personnel of the Central Armed Police Force CAPFon a massive scale, he said.The number of polling booths has jumped from 77,247to 1,01,733.

Eyeing to conduct the comingassembly polls in West Bengal peacefully, the ECI is mullingthe option of deploying around 25 per cent more securitypersonnel than that used in holding the 2019 Lok Sabhaelection, an official of the Chief Electoral Officers officesaid on Thursday.

The full bench of the Election Commission of India(ECI), which is currently in the state to review preparednessfor the assembly polls due in April-May, is also thinking ofdeploying personnel of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF)on a massive scale, he said.

''The number of polling booths has jumped from 77,247to 1,01,733. There are indications that the Commission isthinking to deploy approximately 25 per cent more securitypersonnel compared to what was used in the last Lok Sabhaelections. This is also to ensure peaceful polling,'' he said.

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, ElectionCommissioners Sushil Chandra and Rajeev Kumar held detaileddiscussions with senior officials of paramilitary forces suchas the BSF and the CRPF on the availability of personnel inthe state during the polls.

Earlier in the day, the ECI held a meeting with thenodal officer of the state police, ADG (Law and Order)Gyanwant Singh, and expressed discontent with the execution ofnon-bailable warrants (NBWs) as well as the law and ordersituation.

''The full bench said that it is not at all satisfiedwith the law and order situation in the state as well as theexecution of the NBWs. The ECI asked Singh of the state tofollow its directives effectively,'' he said.

Singh informed the Commission that the COVID-19pandemic and the devastation caused by cyclone Amphan createdhindrances in proper execution of NBWs.

However, the police executed nearly 12,000 of thepending 50,000 NBWs in the last four days.

''The Commission wanted it to be complete by the end ofthis month. The ECI also wanted Singh to contain the scale ofviolence before the announcement of the dates for theelections,'' the official said.

At the meeting, the IPS officer presented a list ofcriminals who can create trouble even from inside correctionalhomes.

The ECI full bench also met district magistrates andsuperintendents of police and asked them to identify those whohad created disturbances during the Lok Sabha elections in2019 and put them behind the bars, he said.

The official said that the Commission also directedthem to keep air ambulances and helicopters ready in remoteareas to address emergency cases during the pandemic.

On Friday, the ECI is scheduled to meet ChiefSecretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay, Home Secretary HK Dwivedi, DGPVirendra and other senior officials.