New Delhi, May 23 (IANS ) With all the seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital set to go to the polls on May 25 (Saturday), Delhi Police have rolled out extensive security measures to ensure smooth polling across the city.
With a strength of 60,000 personnel, including 51 companies of paramilitary forces and 13,500 home guards from three states, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, the national capital is all set for the polling day.
An official said that approximately 13,500 home guards from the three states along with 4,000 home guards from Delhi will be stationed at various locations on the polling day.
To maintain law and order, Delhi Police are not leaving any stone unturned, with the traffic police and PCR units also actively monitoring their respective areas.
"Security on Delhi's borders has been ramped up with rigorous checking measures. We are also in constant touch with our counterparts in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh," said a police officer.
The elections will cover all the seven Lok Sabha constituencies in Delhi - East Delhi, New Delhi, North East Delhi, North West Delhi, South Delhi, West Delhi, and Chandani Chowk.
The deployment plan includes around 60,000 police personnel on the polling day, with at least 33,000 specifically tasked with guarding the 13,637 (2,891 critical) polling stations at 2,627 locations.
Additionally, the Delhi Police have earmarked the sensitive polling centres for extra surveillance.
"Extra paramilitary personnel equipped with drones and CCTV cameras will be deployed in these sensitive centres to ensure heightened security," the officer said
Meanwhile, flag marches, foot marches, and area domination exercises have been conducted in different districts of the national capital.
During the exercise, the officers visited various critical polling centres, assessing security arrangements and engaging with the local people there.
“The primary objective of this initiative was to bolster the confidence among the residents, ensuring that they feel safe and cast their votes without fear or favour. This proactive measure aims to deter any potential disturbances and assures the community of the police's dedication to a free, fair. impartial and secure electoral process,” said Joint Commissioner (Southern Range), S.K. Jain.
"Our priority is to create a safe and conducive environment for the voters. The flag marches and area domination exercises are part of our comprehensive strategy to prevent any untoward incidents and build trust among the residents,” said Special Commissioner of Police (Law & Order), Madhup Tewari.
During foot patrol, senior officers interacted with the public, addressing their concerns and emphasising the significance of their participation in the polling process.
Jain added: "Voting is not just a right, but a duty of every citizen. We urge everyone to come forward and cast their votes with confidence. The police are working relentlessly to ensure the conduct of a peaceful and incident-free election.”
“The people are also requested to report any electoral malpractices, or suspicious or illegal activities in their respective areas by dialling 112,” said Jain.