Kolkata: The state Home Ministry has informed the state Election Commission that 315 companies of Central forces that have already been requisitioned for Panchayat elections in Bengal will be sent in a day or two.
The communication from the Centre came soon after the Commission finalised the deployment of Central forces in the state for the polls on July 8 and informed the same to the Central government on Monday.
As per the blueprint of the poll body, the highest deployment of 26 companies of Central forces will be for Murshidabad followed by 24 companies for Bankura, 22 for North 24-Parganas and 2 companies each for Purulia and East Burdwan. 19 companies each will be commissioned for Birbhum and West Midnapore while South 24-Parganas, Nadia and East Midnapore will have 18 companies each. Malda will witness the deployment of 17 companies of Central forces.
State Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha on Monday held a meeting with IG BSF and IG CRPF, acting as the nodal officers for the Central forces where the blueprint about the deployment of 315 companies of Central forces was finalised.
Sinha had said on Monday that the Commission wants the Centre to send 315 companies of Central forces at the earliest so that they can be deployed in different places and involved in conducting route march as confidence building measure among the voters ahead of the Panchayat polls. Sinha had sent back-to-back letters on Sunday and Monday urging the Home Ministry about their standpoint regarding the remaining 485 companies of Central forces that the state had requisitioned. However, no communication in this regard has been received from the Centre.
The Calcutta High Court had directed the state poll body for holding elections with the deployment of Central forces following which the state has sought 800 companies from the Home Ministry. 22 companies of Central forces have already been sent to the state who have been involved in route marches in different places for the last few days.