The Election Commission (EC) has sought 3.4 lakh Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) personnel for deployment in a phased manner during the upcoming Lok Sabha election and Assembly polls in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim.
The EC has also sought adequate rolling stocks with all appropriate facilities in the trains, thereby ensuring hassle-free mobilization and a timely movement of the forces to perform election duties, a PTI news report added.
In a communication to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the EC has said the chief electoral officers of all the states and Union territories have requested for the deployment of CAPFs for poll-related duties, such as area domination, confidence-building measures, poll day-related duties, guarding of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and strong room centres, counting centre security etc. during the elections.
The commission has considered the requests made by the state CEOs and decided to deploy a maximum of around 3,400 companies of CAPFs in all states and Union territories in a phased manner to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections, the communication said.
A CAPF company comprises around 100 personnel.
The CAPFs are the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and National Security Guard (NSG).