As many as 50,000 troops in close to 400 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) will be deployed for Phase 1 of Uttar Pradesh elections 2022 on February 10.
The first phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections will be spread over 58 constituencies spanning 11 districts. The state will hold elections in seven phases, ending March 7 and the counting of votes will be held on March 10.
Sources said 105 companies would be from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), around 95 from the Border Security Force (BSF), 60 from the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), 50 from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and 30 companies would be from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). These will be deployed in Uttar Pradesh by February 5, with CRPF sources saying the deployment figures could go up.
Almost a dozen companies will be taken from Railway Protection Force (RPF) and others are from state armed police.
According to officials, Aligarh, Baghpat, Bulandshahar, Mathura, Agra, Muzaffarnagar and Shamli will see deployment of these companies in large scale. Area police officials and administration have been asked to make arrangements for the accommodation of these forces.
According to a senior official, compared to the last Uttar Pradesh elections in 2017, the state will see more deployment of forces in communally sensitive areas.
“This time more CAPFs will be deployed in sensitive areas, which includes Aligarh, Agra, Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Meerut etc. Teams of CAPFs will have accommodation close to their deployment so that they can reach quickly whenever required,” a senior official told News18.com.
A senior CRPF official, the Centre is likely to send 400 additional companies for the first phase of UP elections, which means close to 1 lakh jawans from different forces could be deployed for first phase of polling in the state.
Other poll-bound states — Punjab, Manipur, Goa and Uttarakhand — will also have CAPF deployment, but key focus area in view of law and order would be Punjab. The Centre is likely to send troops to Punjab this week.
In January this year, the Ministry of Home Affairs had given a green signal for the movement of CAPFs to election-bound states. A total of 225 companies from different CAPFs had moved to Uttar Pradesh in January for area domination. Almost half a dozen anti-riots Rapid Action Force (RAF) companies have already been deployed in two phases.
“All CAPFs have to maintain Covid protocols while travelling. Accommodation and other necessary steps will be taken to safely deploy the troops. The deployment of the companies will be as per the requirement of local police,” a senior official said.
Read all the Latest India News here
Comments
0 comment