The Union Home Ministry has agreed to provide West Bengal government with 180 companies of paramilitary forces for deployment during the Lok Sabha elections. In 2004 general elections, too, the Centre had allotted the same number of para-military forces to the state.

But the state government has said that with the present troop level it would not be possible to deploy paramilitary personnel at every polling booth.

State Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen said the state government is yet to asses the shortfall of security personnel.

“I don’t think that will be available. And moreover, we need not have enough paramilitary forces to deploy at all the booths,” Sen said.

Deployment of central forces during elections has always been a contentious issue between the ruling CPM and the Opposition. The Trinamool Congress has alleged that the state government kept the paramilitary forces as “stand by” and not used them to maintain law and order. Besides, the forces were not given a free hand to function independently, Trinamool leaders have alleged from time and again.

On Wednesday, a meeting of senior police officers of all the states was called by the Union Home Ministry in New Delhi to discuss the poll preparedness in all the states.

DG (Co-ordination) Bhupinder Singh and IG (Law & Order) Raj Kanojia represented the state in that meeting.

Sen said the decision on the required number of paramilitary personnel required by the state will be taken after the return of these officers.

He also said that the state government has agreed to part away with 11 companies of armed police for other states during the election.

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