For BSF, CRPF jawans, polls just a routine job

"Over the year we have been stretched so much that we have evolved systems to meet such exigencies," sources in the CRPF headquarters said. The reserved troops of both the forces would be mobilised and some battalions pulled out and redeployed for the election phase. "Our force is most adapted to quick relocations and election is an opportunity where they have performed excellently," officers incharge at the CRPF headquarters said.

But whatever happens to the border security, BSF’s major task? Sources say that generally it is during this time that borders are vulnerable to intruders. However, the BSF authorities here are at pains to assert that there is no laxity is guarding the borders. "Borders are never left unguarded although we can not help thinning down the deployment but at the same time our vigil is increased," BSF authorities said.

About 45 lakh policemen including those from the State police are expected to be used for the general elections. The authorities are waiting for the election schedule to be announced and say, "no preparedness alert would be sounded pre-maturely. In fact, issuing snap orders for relocation keeps a jawan’s mind fresh for challenging duties and we don’t even encourage the talk of elections lest weariness starts setting in."

The jawans are looking forward to hopping all over the country in planes, and getting off from static guard duties (of vital installations) to perform the "public-dealing" election duties.

However, a senior BSF officer told The Indian Express that their only worry was for arranging logistics for the jawans in the insurgency-affected areas like Jammu and Kashmir where local institutions show an attitude of non-cooperation under threats from the insurgents. "That is the only thing that we sometime are not prepared to face," he said.