266 companies of Central forces sought for polls

Initially, 50 companies to arrive in State

Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel who arrived in Dindigul on Saturday, will be deployed in various sensitive districts for the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls. Photo: G. Karthikeyan

The State Elections Department has sought 266 companies of Central paramilitary forces to be deployed for Assembly elections.

Praveen Kumar, Chief Electoral Officer, said at a press conference here on Saturday that the requirement was dynamic and what was sought was as per the first estimate. The forces would be drawn from the Central Industrial Security Force, Central Reserve Security Force, Railway Protection Force and armed police services of other States.

Initially, 50 companies would arrive in the State, of which 35 would be in place in a few days. By March 13, another 15 were expected. He recalled that during the 2006 Assembly elections, 196 companies were deployed.

The CEO said that apart from general observers and expenditure observers, there would be police observers, who would be officers of the rank of Inspector General from other States. Five of them would reach the State shortly.

To a question whether there would be one such officer for each district, he said though that might be the norm, no decision had been taken yet.

Cases of violation

On the status of cases of violation of election laws filed during the two general elections in the last five years, Mr. Kumar said that conviction was made in one case of the 2006 Assembly elections and in three cases of the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.