60,000 troops deployed for Chhattisgarh polls; 50 CAPF companies to oversee voting in Mizoram
Chhattisgarh, Mizoram assembly elections: More than 600 polling stations in naxal-hit Bastar will be protected by three layers of security, PTI reported.
Chhattisgarh will go to poll in the first of its two-phased election on Tuesday. The voting will be held in 20 seats, several of them in the Naxal-infested Bastar region. The northeastern state of Mizoram will vote to elect its 40-member assembly.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made in both the poll-bound states to ensure safe and smooth voting. The security forces are on their toes to prevent any untoward incidents during the voting process.
Chhattisgarh
The Central Reserve Police Force deployed additional troops in the state of Chhattisgarh ahead of polling on Tuesday. A senior CRPF officer told PTI that polling agents have left for their respective locations.
More than 600 polling stations in naxal-hit Bastar will be protected by three layers of security, PTI reported. Around 60,000 security troops, 40,000 from the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and 20,000 from the state police, have been deployed in Bastar to ensure the security of the region.
Drones and helicopters will also be used to monitor Naxal activity in the region. A bomb disposal team and a dog squad will also be called in, the report says.
Earlier on October 25, DG CRPF Sujoy Lal Thaosen, along with other senior officers, visited the Forward Operating Base of 131 Bn in the Naxal-affected region of Tondamarka, Sukma ahead of polling in Chhattisgarh. “We are keeping a special focus on polling booths in places such as Mirminda, Kurma, and Elmagunda where polling booths have been set up for the first time,” the officer said.
Another officer informed that two additional companies of the CRPF's commando battalions (CoBRA) have been deployed in sensitive locations. An additional 62 CRPF companies have also been brought to the state.
In the first phase, an estimated 40,78,681 voters, comprising 19,93,937 males, 20,84,675 females, and 69 third-gender persons will seal the fate of 223 candidates.
Mizoram
Ahead of the polling in 40 seats of Mizoram, the state's chief Electoral Officer Madhup Vyas said, "We have to see the strategic position of Mizoram… The border is very porous, and we have a visa-free regime. So 16 km on both sides, people can freely enter the other country without any visa requirements. That can be misused by anti-social elements… We have been successful in checking this movement of contraband goods through coordination with central and state agencies."
READ | Mizoram polls: How Congress, BJP are positioned amid fight between MNF, ZPM
Around 50 CAPF companies have been stationed in Mizoram to ensure the holding of free and fair elections.
According to the Chief Electoral Officer in Mizoram, 8,52,088 voters including 4,13,064 male and 4,39,028 female voters will exercise their franchise in 1276 polling stations.