Panchkula MC elections today: 1,535 police personnel to ensure peaceful, free and fair polling
Police officers said the strength of the deployment had been increased from around 1,200 to 1,535 personnel.
Polling for the Municipal Corporation is in full swing! With 1,535 police personnel on the ground and SWAT teams on standby, the city is under a high-security blanket to ensure every vote counts.(Express File Photo) Panchkula police have put in place an elaborate security arrangement for the Municipal Corporation (MC) elections on Sunday, deploying 1,535 personnel to ensure peaceful, free and fair polling across a total of 204 polling stations from 8 am to 6 pm.
Before dispatching polling parties from Government Girls Post Graduate College in Sector 14 to their polling stations on Saturday, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Srishti Gupta issued necessary instructions and security guidelines to police officers and polling staff.
Police officers said the strength of the deployment had been increased from around 1,200 to 1,535 personnel.
The deployment includes two DCP-rank officers, seven ACPs and 22 inspectors, apart from a large number of police personnel.
Special checking and monitoring are also being carried out at inter-state checkpoints, sensitive areas and other key locations to maintain law and order during the polling.
The DCP said, “Conducting free and fair elections is the foremost responsibility of the police. All officers and staff must perform their duty with honesty, vigilance and impartiality.”
She directed officers to maintain strict discipline during the election duty, keep close watch on all activities and take immediate legal action against anyone attempting to create unrest or disturb law and order.
Police said extensive security arrangements had been made at polling stations, with instructions already issued for enhanced surveillance around booths, deployment of additional force in sensitive areas and continuous patrolling to ensure voters could exercise their franchise without fear.
The police also appealed to residents to participate enthusiastically in the democratic process and avoid paying attention to rumours or misleading information. Citizens have been asked to immediately report any suspicious activity on Dial 112 for prompt action.
The Congress has nominated Sudha Bhardwaj as its mayoral candidate for the Panchkula Municipal Corporation, the BJP has announced the name of Shyamlal Bansal for the post, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has nominated Rajesh Kumar as its candidate, and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has fielded Manoj Agarwal as its mayoral candidate.
The election is taking place in the backdrop of the Haryana Congress alleging “massive manipulation” of voters’ lists in Panchkula, with “8,543 voters have been listed more than once, resulting in 17,086 duplicate votes”.
“An analysis of electoral rolls for Panchkula suggests 8,543 voters listed more than once, resulting in 17,086 duplicate votes,” Congress’s Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Surjewala had said at a press conference in Chandigarh recently.
“The Panchkula MC has nearly 2.8 lakh eligible voters. An analysis of the voter list by Congress volunteers in a month-long exercise has clearly revealed that, within the Panchkula Municipal Corporation, the names of 8,543 voters are registered twice in the electoral roll, resulting in a total of 17,086 duplicate entries,” Surjewala had said.
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