The State administration has geared up to ensure peaceful voting in the urban body elections. There will be multi-layer deployment of forces, especially in hypersensitive areas of Bundu and Hussainabad in Palamau, to thwart disruptive activities of Naxals.
“We have made special arrangements at sensitive places so voters do not face any problem in commuting to polling stations,” said ADG (law & Order and Operations) DK Pandey.
Some 28,617 police personnel will be deployed during the elections and most of them have reached their respective destinations by Friday evening. In addition to static deployment, armed police will be deployed at every polling booth in the 1,413 polling stations across the State.
The administration has decided to deploy one section of armed force and two lathi-wielding policemen too.
Notably, special arrangements have been made for Ranchi, Hazaribagh and Seraikela for holding municipal elections. As many as three companies of armed forces have been reserved to deal with any unforeseen event in Ranchi.
Also, bomb disposal squads and sniffer dogs will kept on the ready in these three districts.
Earlier in the day, State Election Commissioner SD Sharma said, “We are fully prepared to hold elections,” and added that he will seek information regarding movement of election materials at appropriate times.
SEC has communicated to the District Electoral Officers to consider 15 additional documents carrying photos of the voter as valid proof for voting, provided it is issued by a competent authority and produced as a original document.
The commission has also instructed that if the document holder is the head of the family, the presiding officer can use the document to verify the identity of his family, provided the family accompanies the person.
Elections for 28 urban bodies will be organised in two phases — on April 7 and 8. Elections for 26 bodies will be held on April 7 and in Ranchi and Bundu, it will be held on April 8.