Oath-taking tomorrow in West Bengal, 4,000 cops deployed, 10 lakh people expected

Preparations underway at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of West Bengal’s first BJP government on Saturday, May 9, with police expecting a crowd of nearly 10 lakh people at the venue (Source: Photo by Partha Paul)

The ceremony coincides with the cultural fervour of Rabindra Jayanti and marks a shift in Bengal’s political landscape following the BJP’s victory of 207 seats in the 294-member Assembly (Source: Photo by Partha Paul)

The oath ceremony is scheduled at 10 am and is expected to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, chief ministers of BJP-ruled states and senior NDA leaders (Source: Photo by Partha Paul)

The newly elected BJP MLAs will meet at 4:00 pm on Friday, May 8, to elect their leader, who will be sworn in as Chief Minister (Source: Photo by Partha Paul)

Kolkata Police has sounded a high alert and deployed 4,000 personnel to ensure “zero-error” security (Source: Photo by Partha Paul)

The operations are being personally spearheaded by Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nand and under his direction, a multi-tier security ring of Additional Commissioners, Joint Commissioners and DC-level officers will monitor the venue (Source: Photo by Partha Paul)

Additionally, the central forces will be working in tandem with the state police to prevent any post-poll friction during the mega-event (Source: Photo by Partha Paul)

Traffic restrictions and diversions are also likely around the area on Saturday to avoid congestion, police added (Source: Photo by Partha Paul)

The entire Brigade Ground area is declared a ‘No-Fly Zone’ with drones prohibited, aerial surveillance in place, snipers positioned on high-rises, and CCTV monitoring the venue (Source: Photo by Partha Paul)

Senior officers at Lalbazar, the Kolkata Police headquarters, held a high-level meeting on Wednesday to finalise the security blueprint for the event, which is likely to witness a huge gathering (Source: Photo by Partha Paul)