40,000 security men to be deployed for poll duty

Keeping in mind the enormity of the electoral exercise, the Election Commission will be deploying nearly 90,000 personnel, including about 40,000 security men, for the smooth and peaceful conduct of Assembly polls in Delhi scheduled for December 1. A total of around 9,000 polling booths would be set up to enable the 85- lakh strong electorate to cast its ballot on the fateful day.

Top Election Commission officials said that consultations had been held with the Election Commission of India and the agencies likely to be involved in the conduct of polls. After a thorough assessment of the situation, it had been decided to deploy nearly 40,000 security personnel, including policemen from the Delhi police, for peaceful conduct of polls. The election authorities had identified nearly 9,000 polling booths, some sensitive and some highly sensitive, across the Capital. Of the 85 lakh-odd voters, around 48 lakhs are male and 37 lakhs are female voters.

Arrangements had been made to keep 10,641 electronic voting machines (EVMs) ready. A team of engineers from the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited is presently checking them. In addition to this, around 2,500 ballot units of the EVMs have been kept as stand-by in case of any emergency. “These EVM ballot units would be procured from the neighbouring Faridabad. We would be requiring them if there are more than 16 candidates in one Assembly seat,” officials said.

As usual, the Education Department of the Delhi Government would be contributing the most in the poll- related exercise. A large number of teaching staff would be deployed for polling duty. But the Election Commission is learnt to have run into trouble for finding adequate number of Central Government personnel for acting as the Presiding Officers in line with the new guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India.

The Chief Electoral Officer has written to the Election Commission seeking permission to recruit Delhi Government personnel as POs in view of the lack of manpower at the Central level.

Senior Election Commission officials stated that the approximate cost of the Delhi polls was expected to be around Rs. 9 crores of which about Rs. 2 crores would be given to the three civic bodies – Municipal Corporation of Delhi, New Delhi Municipal Council and Delhi Cantonment Board – for providing basic infrastructure at polling booths.

Of the about 9,000 polling booths, nearly 8,700 are in the MCD area. At a meeting held here today, the MCD submitted an estimate of Rs. 1.8 crores for providing infrastructural facilities at the polling booths. Among these include chairs and tables, fencing, banners and posters and facilities of drinking water. “We would be requiring Rs. 2,024 for each booth,” a top MCD official said. The Election Commission at the review meeting decided to give an advance of Rs. 1 crore to the MCD in this regard.

Besides, a Presiding Officer, the polling party of each polling booth would comprise of three Polling Officers and one Group D employee. “Besides this at least 10 per cent of the workforce will be kept on standby,” officials said. “Each and every detail regarding the Delhi Assembly elections has been finalised and the same are being fine tuned now,’ they said. “We are ready for the smooth conducts of polls now,” they asserted.

The Commission has already indicated that they would be requiring 12,000 buses of the Delhi Transport Corporation and 1,000 multi-utility vehicles for the transportation of EVMs and polling parties.

Officials said the list of sensitive and hypersensitive booths would be finalised after the last date of withdrawal of nomination and a week after the election campaigning so as to make them in tune with the ground realities.