INDIAN officials have indicated that approximately 340,000 Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel are slated for deployment during the upcoming general elections and assembly polls in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim.
The home affairs ministry will determine the deployment of CAPF units after reviewing a proposal from the Election Commission of India. The proposal seeks the deployment of around 3,400 companies (equivalent to 340,000 personnel) across all states and Union Territories (UTs) in stages to ensure the elections are conducted freely, fairly and peacefully.
The poll commission forwarded the proposal to the ministry in response to requests from chief electoral officers of all states and UTs of India. The request includes deployment for various election-related tasks such as maintaining control over areas, building confidence among voters, overseeing polling activities, guarding electronic voting machines (EVMs) and storage centres, as well as securing counting centres during both the national and state elections.
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The distribution of CAPF units will be managed centrally and dispersed at different intervals. According to the proposal, the commission has requested a maximum of 920 CAPF companies for the eastern state of West Bengal bordering Bangladesh, followed by 635 for Jammu and Kashmir, where the Lok Sabha elections will be held for the first time after the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019.
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Additionally, 360 companies have been sought for deployment in the central state of Chhattisgarh, 295 in Bihar, and varying numbers for other states and UTs. The home ministry will make deployment decisions based on the availability of CAPF units as requested by the commission.
The Lok Sabha elections are anticipated to take place in April-May, with prime minister Narendra Modi expressing confidence that the Bharatiya Janata Party alone will secure 370 seats, and the National Democratic Alliance led by it will surpass 400 seats in a legislature of 543 members.
(With agency inputs)
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