On poll eve, paramilitary forces take over 13 districts

As many as 90,000 securitymen from 684 companies of Central paramilitary forces have been deployed for the first phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Sixty-two seats are going to polls tomorrow in 13 districts of the state. This is one of the largest deployments of Central forces in the history of UP elections.

For the first time, UP Police as well as the state PAC force has been asked to stay 200 metres away from any polling booth. Seven of these 13 districts — Kanpur City, Agra, Etah, Etawah, Jhansi, Mainpuri and Oraiya — have been declared sensitive by the Election Commission and most paramilitary personnel have been deployed in these districts. The forces have been asked to take “on-the-spot action” in case of any attempted booth capturing or EVM tampering.

Kanpur Urban district has got the maximum deployment of 98 companies comprising 13,000 men. Agra’s 1,131 polling booths will be guarded by 96 companies while 80 companies have been posted for the 1,161 polling booths in crime-infested Etah district. More than 50 companies each would be on duty in Firozabad, Jhansi and Mainpuri districts as well where there are over 700 polling booths each. Local police say the activities of all candidates with criminal records are being videographed on EC orders and no person is going to be allowed to move around tomorrow with armed guards.