Chandigarh, Feb 4 : Over one lakh security personnel, including central paramilitary forces have been deployed across the state on polling duty even as intelligence reports suggest that Pakistani agents might try to sabotage the elections. They will be on duty in all the 117 assembly segments along with by elections for the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat.
Punjab Chief Electoral Officer V.K. Singh told the media here on Friday that over 2.07 lakh state government employees would also be deployed to conduct the "mahayagya of democracy". This year 6 lakh new voters will be casting their ballot for the first time ever.
Nearly 1.99 crore voters will decide the fate of 1,145 candidates, including 81 women and one transgender candidate, Singh said, adding that all arrangements were in place to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections.
"All district authorities are taking adequate steps to motivate first-time voters, including honouring them with certificates and mementos," Singh said. A total of 22,614 polling stations have been set up with 31,460 electronic voting machines (EVMs).
"The Election Commission has identified 786 critical polling stations and 23 constituencies have been declared sensitive. As many as 5,573 trouble-makers have been identified and 4,200 people bound down (detained) to ensure free and fair elections," Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Elections, V.K. Bhawra said.
Singh said for the first time, 45,000 police personnel opted for postal ballot and till the last reports came in, over 21,000 (45 per cent) had already exercised their franchise through postal ballot.
"Police teams will conduct thorough search to check the flow of liquor, narcotics and money. It was due to intensive searches that Punjab Police could make record seizure of liquor valued at Rs 80 crore and 416 illegal weapons during this period," ADGP Bhawra said
