The Election Commission’s special officer to oversee deployment of central forces in Bengal told district authorities on Monday that they would be informed within 72 hours about the quantum of paramilitary companies available for five Lok Sabha constituencies which would go to polls on April 11 and 18.

The special police observer, Vivek Dubey, gave the assurance during his video conference with district magistrates and police superintendents to discuss preparations for the general election. On April 11, Cooch Behar and Alipurduar will go to polls, while voting will be held in the Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling and Raiganj seats on April 18.

“You will be informed within 2-3 days how many companies of central forces you will get for the initial phases… You have to prepare a plan for optimum use of the forces, which would be made available to you,” a district magistrate quoted Dubey as saying at the conference.

Dubey visited Nabanna on Monday to meet chief secretary Malay De and home secretary Atri Bhattacharya.

Sources said Dubey had promised to communicate the quantum of the central force for the five constituencies when police superintendents had said only one company each was available in each Lok Sabha segment to undertake confidence-building measure among voters by conducting route marches.

“Some of the SPs pointed out that they didn’t have central forces at their disposal after Dubey started narrating to them the complaints the political parties had lodged with him over law and order,” said an official, who attended the video conference.

The sources said Dubey was scheduled to visit Siliguri on Tuesday and meet general and police observers deployed in north Bengal districts on Wednesday. After the meeting, a blueprint on requirement of central forces for each constituency will be drawn up.

The requirement of forces will be determined based on reports from district authorities and the general and police observers in north Bengal.

“As per initial reports, on an average, 30 per cent of the booths in north Bengal have been identified to be sensitive. But the number of sensitive booths are likely to vary after the reports of observers are taken into account,” said a source.

Dubey had already made it clear that all booths in a state couldn’t be declared sensitive after he met representatives of political parties at the chief electoral officer’s office in Calcutta on Monday.

“All booths can never be declared sensitive. Some will be sensitive, some will be highly sensitive and the classification is based on certain criteria,” Dubey said when asked to comment on Opposition’s demand to declare all booths sensitive in Bengal.

He, however, added: “Bengal is a problematic state. That is why polls here are held in seven phases.”

Sources present at the video conference said Dubey had hinted that central forces might not be deployed in all booths in the initial phases. Hence, Dubey said, the Bengal administration had to play a neutral role as state armed police might be posted at some booths.

“As majority of states will go to polls in the first three phases, there might be lesser number of central forces than what is required,” said an official.