Kolkata, April 26: Following directives from the Election Commission of India (ECI), special scrutiny is being conducted in districts of West Bengal that share an unprotected international border with Bangladesh. This is in preparation for the second phase of the state’s two-phase assembly elections scheduled for April 29.
Manoj Kumar Agarwal, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal, stated that heightened checks are being implemented near the unprotected borders. The Border Security Force (BSF) is on high alert, and thorough checkpoint inspections are being carried out. All necessary precautions are being taken to ensure free, fair, and peaceful elections.
He noted that the number of assembly constituencies, geographical spread, and polling stations for the second phase are fewer compared to the first phase held on April 23. Therefore, the monitoring and security arrangements will be more stringent for the upcoming phase.
In the first phase, voting took place across 152 assembly constituencies in 16 districts, with 45,000 polling stations. The second phase will cover 142 assembly constituencies across six districts and Kolkata, with 40,000 polling stations.
Additionally, the number of police observers for the second phase has increased to 95, up from 84 in the first phase.
The CEO emphasized that the scope of security coverage and monitoring will naturally be greater in the second phase compared to the first.
For the second phase, a total of 2,348 companies of central forces will be deployed, including Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), India Reserve Battalion (IRB), and armed police units from other states, alongside personnel from West Bengal Police and Kolkata Police.
The highest deployment of central forces will be in North 24 Parganas district, with 507 companies stationed there, followed by South 24 Parganas with 409 companies.
Meanwhile, an insider from the CEO’s office revealed that due to the extensive coastal border with Bangladesh, coastal patrols in the Sundarbans area, spanning South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas districts, have been intensified.
Arpit Soni has had a passion for journalism since the beginning. Now he has turned this hobby into his profession. Arpit, who is a resident of Udaipur, enjoys editing and writing news related to journalism. He has worked as a Senior Content Producer in several important roles at Bhaskar, Patrika, Pratahkal, Punjab Kesari, and Times. Arpit completed his schooling in Udaipur and Jaipur. He has been working in the media industry for more than 10 years, and his journey is still continuing. ✍️📚
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