Election Commission Requests Deployment of Additional Central Forces for Bengal Elections

In addition to the 150 companies that have been stationed in the state since the beginning of March, the Election Commission has also requested the deployment of 27 companies of the central troops for Bengal.

Following Tuesday's altercation in Dinhata, Cooch Behar, between the supporters of Union minister of state Nisith Pramanik and Bengal minister Udayan Guha, a decision was made to deploy extra soldiers, who are anticipated to arrive in the first week of April.

One of the three Bengali seats where the first round of voting is set on April 19 is Cooch Behar.

There will be 15 firms from the CRPF, 5 from the BSF, and 7 from the CISF among the 27 new enterprises. The state administration has been asked by the poll panel to expedite the process of deciding which regions of Bengal these 27 enterprises would be stationed in. The poll panel has already approved the deployment of 920 central force companies to Bengal, the most number of any state or union territory—more than even the 635 companies authorized for Jammu and Kashmir.

Political commentators surmise that the commission is unwilling to take any risks with the Bengali elections. A political observer predicted that "the additional forces will definitely be stationed in north Bengal, where six constituencies are scheduled for polling in the first and second phases, on April 19 and April 26."

"The state government is requested to work out the detailed deployment plan, in consultation with the respective CAPFs (central armed police forces) and Chief Force Coordinator," the Election Commission said in a letter to the Bengal government. The CRPF will coordinate the movement and deployment of CAPFS.

The letter clarifies that the top force coordinator for the central troops' deployment in Bengal during election season would be B.K. Sharma, inspector-general, CRPF, West Bengal. It requests that the state government make arrangements for lodging, transportation, logistics, and other needs associated with the deployment of the central force.

After being sent to different districts in two waves, the 150 companies that had previously been deployed in the state have started carrying out their responsibilities, which include patrolling. The poll panel has said that any redeployment of these enterprises would be swiftly reported to the state government.

Additionally, Chhattisgarh (360 companies), Bihar (295), Uttar Pradesh (252), Punjab (252), Jharkhand (250), Gujarat (200), Rajasthan (200), Maharashtra (150), and Madhya Pradesh (113) have been authorized to receive central troops. Manipur, which is plagued by violence, would see the deployment of 200 companies.