Paramilitary force to accompany ECI team for doorstep voting

Kolkata: About half-a-section of Paramilitary force will accompany the team of the Election Commission during their visit to the residences of specific categories of people who will give voting consent through postal ballot from their respective homes because of their inability to turn up at the

polling booths.

"As part of our COVID management we are allowing three categories of people– people who are above 80 years, people who are suffering from COVID or in quarantine and people who are physically challenged to vote in postal ballots from their homes. A team from the Commission will visit their residences at least two days prior to the scheduled election in his/her constituency with postal ballot for voting, and at least half-a-section Paramilitary force will accompany the team to instill confidence among the voters," a senior EC

official said. Special observer Ajay Nayek and Special Police Observer Vivek Dubey who have camped at the BSF office at Gurusaday Road in Ballygunge are scanning the police records to rein in rowdyism. "The duo are taking stock on a case to

case basis of the acts of violence or violation of law and order

that have occurred in the

state during 2019 Lok Sabha

and 2016 assembly polls.

They are checking out what action has been taken against the offender and in case of any laxity are instructing the state police to do the needful," said an official.

"The Commission will have zero tolerance in keeping persons with criminal antecedents behind bars for the purpose of ensuring free and fair polls," added the official.

"The two are expected to start their field visits in the state within two three days. The place has not been finalised as yet but it will start with the districts that are going to polls in the first phase on

March 27. The Commission is still pondering upon the implementation of randomisation of police personnel through IT application in the

state polls. "We need to have support from the state police for this and meetings are being held on a regular basis. The aim is to develop a mechanism so that no police personnel will be able to know their posting beforehand which will keep them free from any kind of influence," the official

added. The Commission has tested success through this IT application in the recently concluded Bihar Assembly polls.

Presently the state has around one lakh police force of which 80,000 are from state police and another 20,000 from

Kolkata police.