Poll panel assures adequate security for Kolkata civic polls

Amid reports of violence across the city, the West Bengal State Election Commission on Friday said adequate security measures were taken for Saturday's Kolkata Municipal Corporation polls.

"In order to ensure peaceful polls, adequate security arrangements have been made. Besides web cameras inside polling booths, in every borough (comprising seven to 10 wards) a vehicle mounted with a web cameras would also be deployed," State Election Commissioner S.R. Upadhyay said urging voters to exercise their franchise without any fear or influence.

Upadhyay said the city police would deploy 2,800 sub inspectors, 4,099 assistant sub inspectors and over 21,000 armed constables. Apart from these, 3,000 home guards would also be deployed.

However, with only three companies of central forces available as against the panel's demand for 50 companies, Upadhyay said they would only be part of mobile teams and would not be deployed at booth level.

A total of 37,42,019 electors including 17.52 lakh women would exercise their franchise across 4,704 polling stations to decide to fate of 1,075 candidates. The counting is scheduled on April 28.

The electors list also includes 20 voters under the third gender category.

Upadhyay said of the 4,074 polling booths, 2647 were identified as sensitive.

He also said more than 80 cases of violence have been reported with police across the city so far.

Meanwhile, the CPI-M on Friday charged the poll panel of trying to evade its responsibility to ensure the polls to be free and fair.

"The statements the state election commissioner is making shows that he is trying to avoid the responsibility to ensure free and fair polls. He is trying to put the onus on the state government which is hell bent to turn this election into a farce," party state secretariat member Rabin Deb said.

Regretting the lack of central forces for the polls, Upadhyay on Thursday said: "There is a huge gap between the requirement and what has been allotted. So there could be a gap in confidence building measures".

While the BJP, the Congress and the Left Front have been accusing the Trinamool of unleashing a reign of terror turning the polls into a farce, refuting their allegation, the ruling party has been charging the opposition of disturbing the peaceful atmosphere of the state.