The Hindu 18.05.2010
Adequate security promised for West Bengal civic polls
Staff Reporter
| Leaders of different political parties apprehend violence during the exercise |
State Govt. has asked the Centre for deployment of paramilitary forces during the polls
Security measures will be further tightened in areas which are identified as sensitive: SEC
KOLKATA: In the face of apprehensions of leaders of different political parties about violence during the upcoming civic elections in 81 municipal bodies across West Bengal on May 30, State Election Commissioner Mira Pande said here on Monday that “adequate security arrangements will be taken to ensure free and fair polls”.
“We are taking care that adequate security arrangements are being taken in all the polling booths. Security measures will be further tightened in areas which are identified as sensitive,” Ms. Pande said at a press conference organised by the Kolkata Press Club.
While the State Government has requested the Centre for deployment of paramilitary forces in the State during the elections, she refused to divulge the exact number of Central forces asked for.
Saying that the deployment of Central forces at individual polling booths would depend on the number of forces available, Ms. Pande said: “I cannot share the details of the proposal sent to the Centre regarding deployment of Central forces.”
She also refused to disclose the number of State police personnel to be deployed during the elections though she assured that each polling booth will have at least two armed security person-nel other than the home guards.
Asked if she envisages a violent civic election in the State as repeatedly predicted by the principal political parties, Ms. Pande said that her assessments are based on reports available from the different officers and claimed that reports so far do not suggest the possibility of any violence.
According to the SEC, 7,029 valid candidates will be fighting the civic election in the 81 municipal bodies out of the more than 10,000 nominations submitted.
“There has been a roughly two per cent increase in the number of voters since the last time which was 8,359,003. Post delimitation in 24 civic bodies, the total number of wards has increased from 1757 to 1792,” Ms. Pande said.
She added that the total number of voters in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation area is 3,428,861.
