Journalism of Courage
The bypolls for the Kasba Peth and Chinchwad Assembly constituencies will together see a security deployment comprising over 2,300 Maharashtra police personnel and eight companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) for maintaining law and order and the peaceful conduct of voting, State Election Commission officials said Monday.
They also said in the security checks conducted during the model code of conduct period for the two constituencies, seizure of cash, illicit liquor and drugs was reported.
The voting for the Kasba Peth and Chinchwad bypolls will be held on February 26 and the counting on March 2. While Kasba Peth will have 510 polling centres, Chinchwad will have 270. An elaborate plan for security arrangements in the run-up to the polling day has been prepared under the purview of the State Election Commission in coordination with the respective police units and central agencies.
As part of the security arrangements for the polling day, Kasba Peth will see the deployment of 1,500 state police personnel and five companies of the CAPFs. For the Chinchwad constituency, 836 state police personnel will be deployed along with three companies of the CAPFs — one each from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). Chinchwad will also see the deployment of two additional Railway Protection Force (RPF) companies and 169 Home Guard personnel. A company has an approximate strength of 120 personnel.
During security checks for Chinchwad, Election Commission officials said illegally transported cash of Rs 43 lakh, 7,336 litres of illicit liquor worth Rs 4.97 lakh and marijuana worth Rs 94,000 were seized. In the checks for Kasbe Peth, illegally transported cash of Rs 5 lakh, 313 litres of illicit liquor worth Rs 20,000 lakh and mephedrone worth Rs 5 lakh were seized.
