The state government has turned down a request from the State Election Commission for deployment of paramilitary forces to provide security for the June 28 civic polls.

The commission’s request comes in the wake of sporadic clashes in several districts and the question of security in municipal areas deemed ‘sensitive’. The government, however, maintains that central police forces (CPF) cannot be spared, with most of them deployed in Lalgarh.

There are around 2,471 polling stations and 20,84,727 voters registered for the polls. The commission has deployed 15,000 polling personnel and 27 observers for the civic polls.

According to the commission, 10 of the 16 municipalities have been categorised as sensitive, including South Dum Dum, Dum Dum, Madhyamgram and Rajarhat-Gopalpur in North 24-Parganas, Asansol and Kulti in Burdwan, Dankuni in Hooghly and Uluberia, after analysis of past elections in these areas and also keeping in mind the current situation.

“We have asked the state government to deploy paramilitary forces in at least the ten sensitive municipality areas. But we have been told that there is no CPF available as they have all been deployed for the Lalgarh operation, which will not be over before the polls. We have hence been told that all booths will be manned by armed state police force,” said R N Roychowdhury, secretary, State Election Commission.

Senior commission officials, however, feel that manning of the polling stations by the state armed police will not be sufficient, given the volatile political situation.

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