Navi Mumbai: The Navi Mumbai police have made an elaborate security arrangement for the first ever Panvel City Municipal Corporation (PCMC) elections on Wednesday. “Sufficient police personnel will be deployed at the voting centres. We have also deployed reserve staff at several places to handle emergencies. Stern action will be taken against those who try to break the law or disrupt the election process,” said Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale on Tuesday.
One Deputy Commissioner of Police, two Assistant Commissioners of Police, 29 inspectors,154 assistant police inspectors and sub-inspectors, and 1,304 personnel, along with two platoons of Headquarters Striking Force, one Riot Control Force, and one platoon of State Reserve Police Force, with 47 vehicles will be deployed for the bandobast, said Mr. Nagrale.
Panvel city, which was being governed by Panvel Municipal Council — formed on August 25, 1852, as the first in the country — became a corporation in October 2016. It is the State’s 27th and Raigad district’s first municipal corporation. The PCMCC has 5.09 lakh population and comprises Panvel city and 29 villages.
The polls will be held for 20 wards of which 18 wards would elect four candidates each, while two wards would choose three candidates each. The BJP is contesting on all 78 seats with support from the PRP and the Republican Democratic party. The Peasants and Workers Party has put up candidates for 48 seats and its alliance Congress is contesting on 18 seats and the Nationalist Congress Party on 12 seats. The Shiv Sena is fighting for 68 seats, while its partner Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghthana is contesting on 5 seats. In all, 418 candidates are in the fray.
There will be 3,200 staff at 570 polling booths with around 600 EVMs. Around 4.25 lakh voters are expected to turn up.
