EC officials to meet on Saturday to decide on CAPF deployment for 1st phase in Bengal

Kolkata: A meeting chaired by the Election Commission-appointed police observer Anil Kumar Sharma on Saturday will finalise the exact deployment of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel for the three Lok Sabha constituencies in the first phase of elections on April 19.

Insiders from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) said the meeting will be attended by the CEO of West Bengal, Ariz Aftab, the nodal police officer for West Bengal, Anand Kumar and the state coordinator for Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), B.K. Sharma.

In the first phase of polls on April 19, the three Lok Sabha constituencies where polls will be held are Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar.

Sources said that 300 CAPF companies will be needed to ensure the deployment in each booth of these three Lok Sabha constituencies.

“However, as of now only 177 companies of CAPF have been deployed in West Bengal, leaving the requirement room for 123 more companies. Since as of date the office of the CEO, of West Bengal has not got any confirmation on when more companies of CAPF will be arriving in the state before the first phase polls, the meeting on Saturday will deliberate on that,” said a CEO office insider.

ECI has already announced that a total of 920 companies will be deployed in the seven-phase polls in West Bengal which will be the highest among all Indian states. There is a plan for a gradual and phase-wise increase in the deployment of Central forces depending on the number and sensitivity of the constituencies going for polls in that particular phase.