The sensitiveness of polling booths varies from time to time and depends on various factors. But as of now, a total of 461 out of 10, 062 polling booths in Uttarakhand have been identified as ultra-sensitive and 732 polling booths have been marked sensitive.
As per Election Commission of India (ECI’s) guidelines on deployment of police force including Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) jawans, inspectors, sub-inspectors, head constables, constables and home guards will be deployed at polling stations in inter-state border areas, problem areas, sensitive, ultra-sensitive polling stations and EVM strong room in the state, said Additional Director General of Police (law and order), Ram Singh Meena on Tuesday. “District police heads have been directed to reduce the level of sensitiveness of polling booths categorised as sensitive or ultra sensitive and ensure that all possible steps are taken to ensure peaceful election,” he added.
DIG (law and order, crime), Police Headquarter SK Shukla said that to avoid untoward incidents at polling stations during lok Sabha elections, around 21 companies of PAC, 13, 011 constables, 11, 247 home guards, 1, 610 head constables, 1, 282 sub inspectors, 108 inspectors and 40 gazetted officers will be deployed at 7, 471 polling centres in the state.
Apart from this, State police had recently sent proposal to ECI seeking deployment of 59 companies of CAPF to ensure peaceful election.So far, 45 companies of CAPF have been approved for Uttarakhand by the ECI, he added.
Shukla further said that sufficient number of CAPF, PAC jawans and police force will be deployed at each sensitive and ultra sensitive polling booth in the state. In comparison to last year’s lok Sabha election, about 1000 new polling stations have been established in the State this year. Sensitiveness of polling booths varies from time to time and depends on various factors like the crime graph, communal tensions, political turmoil and candidates’ personality.