Kolkata, March 26 : Around 133 companies of Central Armed Police forces are expected to be deployed in phases for the by-polls to the Asansol Lok Sabha and Ballygunge Assembly seats in West Bengal, scheduled to be held on April 12, sources said on Saturday. The Election Commission is expected to hold a video conference later on Saturday with the state bureaucrats and police officers regarding the law and order and deployment of central forces. Senior officers of the central forces are slated to be present during the parleys. Sources said the Central Armed Police forces from the CRPF, BSF and CISF are likely to be deployed to keep vigil at the polling booths and centres in Paschim Bardhaman district’s Asansol and Ballygunge assembly seats in the city. The forces are expected to be on duty for area domination from early next month or end of this week. State chief election officer Ariz Aftab, who has already held a virtual meeting with the Election Commision of India officials on Friday, would also participate in the video conference on Saturday, the sources said. The ADG ( Law and Order), West Bengal, senior officials from BSF, CRPF and CISF and others would take part in the virtual meeting, sources added. The by-poll results would be announced on April 16. Two former on Ministers – famed Bollywood actor Shatrughan Sinha of and and singer Babul Supriyo – are contesting as state’s ruling Trinamool Congress candidates from Asansol and Ballygunge respectively. The main opposition BJP has fielded designer turned political activist Agnimitra Paul from Asansol and Keya Ghosh from Ballygunge to challenge the ruling party candidates. The Left Front has named two CPI-M candidates Saira Shah Halim for Ballygunge and Partha Mukherjee for the industrial belt constituency of Asansol. The bypoll was necessitated in the Asansol constituency as Babul Supriyo resigned as BJP MP after being dropped from the on council of ministers last year. The Ballygunge seat fell vacant as incumbent MLA and state minister Subrata Mukherjee died last November. PC SSP
