Lok Sabha Polls: Election Commission-Home Ministry Meeting Today on Deployment of Paramilitary Forces

The preparations for Lok Sabha election 2024 have entered the last leg with the Election Commission of India (ECI) discussing security arrangements with the Union Home Ministry for the deployment of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel across India. The meeting, a matter of routine before every election, will take place later on Friday.

The forces are deployed by the Ministry of Home Affairs on EC’s direction for elections. The list of personnel includes all CAPFs, State Armed Police Forces, Indian Reserve Battalion, Railway Protection Force and others.

“The commission directs deployment of CAPFs for free, fair and peaceful conduct of elections, be it general or bye-elections to the Lok Sabha or assemblies. The CAPFs which are deployed for election duties will not be used for any other purposes. The forces are required in pre-poll as well as post-poll stage,” an official told News18.

Starting with surveillance in the pre-poll stage to guarding polling stations and later providing security to polled EVMs and VVPATs as well as the polling and counting personnel, the role of CAPF is critical.

More than 3,000 companies of the CAPFs, each comprising 100 personnel, will be required across India in a phased manner for the Lok Sabha elections and assembly polls.

Last month, the ECI had asked the Railway Board to ensure smooth and hassle-free train movement for these personnel.

The terms of the Lok Sabha and the Assemblies in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, and Sikkim will end in June. These four states will witness simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

In 2019, the elections were announced on March 10, while the counting of votes took place on May 23.

The announcement of the election schedule is expected later this month. However, last month, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar had said that the EC team will visit Jammu and Kashmir before announcing the dates. The team is expected to visit J&K next week.

Since February 16, the EC team has completed the tour of five states – Odisha, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. It visited Andhra Pradesh in January.