Central forces to be deployed in Bengal before elections

The declaration has come as a shot in the arm of Opposition parties in state which demanded deployment as soon as the model code of conduct came into effect

Sunil Arora speaks to the media in Calcutta on Friday.: PTI photo

Arkamoy Datta Majumdar   |   TT   |   Calcutta   |   23.01.21: The chief election commissioner of India, Sunil Arora, on Friday said central forces would be deployed in Bengal before the poll process began.

The declaration has come as a shot in the arm of Opposition parties in the state as they placed representations with Nirvachan Sadan that central forces be deployed as soon as the model code of conduct comes into effect.

“Central forces shall be deployed and shall be deployed in advance,” said Arora while replying to a question during a news conference at a hotel here on Monday.

While Arora did not say from when and how many companies of central forces would be deployed in the state, senior government officials, with whom he had held a series of meetings over the past 48-hours, were apparently given a hint that comparatively larger quantum of paramilitary personnel would be posted in the run up to the polls.

“The model code of conduct comes into effect as soon as the election dates are declared, which is usually done 45 days ahead of the first phase of the voting. The CEC did not mention when the poll dates would be declared and when central forces would be sent to the state, but he gave enough hints that paramilitary personnel could be sent for confidence building measure within a few days of the dates being declared,” said a senior government official.

If this happens, it will be unprecedented as only 25 to 30 companies of forces are normally sent to the state for confidence building about 15 to 20 days before the polls.

“But it seems there will be more central forces in the state and they could undertake confidence building measures for about a month before the polls,” said a district magistrate.

As polls in Bengal have a history of violent incidents, the Opposition parties had been sending representations to the EC for the past few months demanding deployment of central forces in the state much before the voting.

Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh, who led his party’s representation to the EC full bench on Thursday, said they had demanded deployment of central forces ahead of the polls.

“We have asked the EC to deploy central forces as soon as the MCC comes to effect,” another party source had said on Thursday.

Sources in the administration said the series of instructions given by the full bench during its two-day visit to the state made it clear that the poll panel was taking the complaints lodged by the Opposition parties seriously.

First, the EC made it clear that there would be no motorcycle rallies in the state as soon as the MCC comes into effect.

Second, the EC gave a clear direction to the top brass of the administration that no civic volunteers or green police would be engaged in poll-related duties.

Third, officers who would conduct the polls have been given a clear direction that any kind of complaints of dereliction of duties would affect their career.

Sources in the home department said deployment of central forces would completely depend on the availability of forces once the polls were declared.

“But it appears the Centre would be able to send more forces to Bengal this time because Assembly elections would be held in five states only. In case of Lok Sabha polls, it was tough to send more forces to Bengal,” said an official.