A total of 2,400 companies, comprising personnel from various security forces, will be deployed in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly polls. The deployment will be split between two phases, with the first phase scheduled for April 23 and the second for April 29, as announced by the Election Commission of India.
The Election Commission revealed that the first supplementary list of cases under the “logical discrepancy” category from the Special Intensive Revision exercise will now be released on March 23 instead of the initially planned date of March 20. Currently, 480 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) are already stationed in West Bengal as part of an advance deployment.
After the second phase of polling on April 29, 200 CAPF companies will stay in the state to ensure the security of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), strong rooms, and counting centers until the completion of the counting process. Additionally, 500 CAPF companies will remain deployed for law and order duties and to prevent post-poll violence, a significant issue following previous elections.
The remaining 1,700 companies of CAPF, India Reserve Battalion (IRB), and state armed police will be withdrawn after the polling concludes on April 29. The Election Commission has instructed the West Bengal government to collaborate with the security forces to develop a detailed deployment plan. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will oversee the coordination of movement and deployment of the CAPFs. Inspector General Shalabh Mathur of CRPF West Bengal Sector has been appointed as the “State Force Coordinator” for the elections. The notification emphasized the need for the state government to make necessary arrangements for transportation, logistics, accommodation, and other requirements for the forces.
