Security beefed up in Jangalmahal ahead of polling day

The Election Commission (EC) has taken all the measures to ensure free and fail elections in all the 18 assembly constituencies under the three districts-- Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore which will go to poll on Monday.

Additional Chief Electoral officer Dibyendu Sarkar said that polling personnels have reached the 4,200 polling stations. For those who will go to the difficult areas in Purulia, the commission has set up 21 temporary shelters spreading over six police station of areas like Bagmundi, Balarampur, Bandwan, Arsha, Barabazar, Jhalda.

“Two helicopters have already been pressed into action for maintain aerial surveillance. There is an additional arrangement of air-ambulance which will be deployed,” Sarkar said.

To carry out the election process in the maoist affected areas, around 150 companies of central forces were deployed at various Assembly constituencies in West Midnapore. According to the commission, VVPAT machines will be available at the 310 polling stations in West Midnapore and 266 polling stations in Purulia whereas Bankura has got no such machine for any of its constituencies. VVPAT is an machine which will help the voter in determining the candidate for whom she/he had cast her/his vote.

The commission has made an arrangement for the sensitive booths in all the three districts. There are 116 polling stations in West Midnapore which have been identified as sensitive area. The number is 1040 in case of Purulia and 706 in Bankura. In the 9 districts under Purulia where elections will be held on Monday there are 20,31,503 voters among which 10,48,148 are male, 9,83,042 female and 13 others. 

In the 3 districts of Bankura which will go to poll on Monday there are 6,72,260 male voters, 6,58,361 female voters and 2 others. There are 6,72,260 male voters, 6,58,361 female voters and 2 others in the 6 districts of West Midnapore.

Sarkar said that the every polling station will be manned by the central forces. State police will be engaged to maintain queues. In the sensitive booths under the Left Wing Extremism divisions one section of central force will be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.