The authorities concerned, including the Election Commission of India (ECI), started preparations to ensure free and fair elections in the State. As per the information, the five North Coastal districts have received at least one Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) company from the Centre as per the ECI directives. Two CISF companies reached Visakhapatnam city.
The commanding officers of these companies instructed their personnel to move in the areas where they are going to discharge their poll duties.
Confirming this to The Hindu on Monday (March 4), an IPS officer at the Visakhapatnam police commissionerate, who did not want to be quoted due to the ECI guidelines, said, “We have got two CISF companies. Each company has 100 personnel. Another company is coming on March 7. We have accommodated them at two places, the Vizag Steel Plant area and Bakkannapalem (Madhurawada). On the first day (Sunday late night), we took a company as a pre-election deployment move at an isolated location on the outskirts of Anandapuram mandal in the city.”
An Anakapalli police officer said, “We got a CISF company with 90 members, and expecting a few more as Anakapalli has many sensitive polling stations. We took the CISF company to Anakapalli town to show the areas. It is like a confidence-building programme before elections. This activity helps the CISF personnel to study the areas, local people, their behaviour, and also sensitive and conflict areas. We have more than 1,000 policemen from our side. Both the Central and the State police will work together till the final orders are issued by the ECI.”
The CISF companies arrived in trains from different parts of the country. The State police have received and accommodated them at various places including government colleges for their stay.
Police sources said at least 100 companies will reach the State by the time the election notification is issued during the middle of this month for the pre-election activities.
