The Election Commission of India has decided to deploy 246 companies of central forces for the two Calcutta constituencies — Dakshin Kolkata and Uttar Kolkata — set to vote in the last phase on Saturday.
The deployment means 24,600 personnel of the central forces will oversee voting at 3,947 polling stations, averaging at 6.5 personnel per booth.
Though Calcutta will see one of the highest concentration of forces in recent times, according to EC data only 183 (4.6%) of the 3,947 polling stations —2,078 in Dakshin Kolkata and 1,869 in Uttar Kolkata — have been designated sensitive.
EC data indicates 117 sensitive polling stations in Uttar Kolkata and 66 in Dakshin Kolkata. “After sporadic violence in the sixth phase, the commission redesigned the entire security pattern for the seventh phase. The commission went through all the security parameters carefully and made changes. The commission wants zero-tolerance for violence in all the nine constituencies,” a commission official said.
A virtual meeting with CEO Aariz Aftab, special police observer Anil Kumar Sharma and special general observer Alok Sinha revealed most problems happened outside polling premises.
Therefore, the commission decided to ensure that Quick Response Teams (QRT) could reach a troubled spot within 10 minutes.
“In the seventh phase there will be a total 1,958 QRTs for the nine constituencies with 599 QRTs for Calcutta alone. This measure aims to address any issues promptly, adhering to the commission's mandated 10-minute response time,” a commission official said.
Two constituencies of Calcutta, along with seven constituencies including Dum Dum, Jadavpur, Diamond Harbour, Basirhat, Barasat, Mathurapur and Joynagar, will vote on June 1.
The vulnerability mapping of these constituencies shows that of the total 17,470 polling stations 3,682 (21 per cent) booths are considered sensitive.
Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency, which includes Sandeshkhali, has the highest number of sensitive booths among all the seven constituencies. Of the 1,882 polling stations in Basirhat, 1,096 (nearly 58 per cent) are considered sensitive. The commission has deployed 81 companies for Basirhat. Widespread allegations had surfaced from women of Sandeshkhali, accusing former Trinamool strongman Sheikh Shajahan and his aides of committing atrocities against them, including sexual assault at gunpoint. Additionally, it has been claimed that tribal people were forced to transfer their lands by the TMC leader.
Besides Calcutta and Basirhat, the commission has deployed 160 companies for Jadavpur, 175 for Dum Dum, 110 for Diamond Harbour, 81 for Barasat, and 114 for Mathurapur and Joynagar parliamentary constituencies.
The EC has decided to deploy more than 33,000 state forces for peaceful polls. Adequate QRTs and High Radio Flying Squads (HRFS) will also be deployed.
