GG News Bureau
Kolkata, 9th April. Ahead of the seven-phase Lok Sabha election in West Bengal, the Election Commission of India (EC) has announced the deployment of an additional 100 companies of central paramilitary forces to the state. This decision comes amidst concerns over reported incidents of political violence in the region over recent years.
This expansion supplements the 177 companies already designated for the state, comprising personnel from various paramilitary forces such as CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP, SSB, and RPF. The newly allocated forces consist of 55 companies from CRPF and 45 from BSF, with a sanctioned strength of 100 personnel per company. This move effectively entails the deployment of at least 25,000 paramilitary personnel in West Bengal to ensure the smooth conduct of the electoral process.
Paramilitary forces play a crucial role in conducting exercises like area domination to instill confidence among voters, thereby facilitating free and fair elections. The decision for additional deployment follows recent incidents, including an attack on a National Investigation Agency (NIA) team in Bhupatinagar, Purba Medinipur, and a previous assault on an Enforcement Directorate (ED) team in Sandeshkhali village.
In response to these developments, Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in the Bengal Assembly from the BJP, has advocated for the retention of central forces in the state even after the Model Code of Conduct is lifted. He cited concerns about post-poll violence based on previous experiences. Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress has accused the ruling BJP of leveraging central agencies to target its leaders ahead of the elections.
Tensions escalated further as senior Trinamool leaders, including MPs Derek O’Brien, Sagarika Ghose, and Dola Sen, were detained after protesting outside the Election Commission’s Delhi office, demanding changes in the leadership of investigative agencies. The Trinamool has urged the EC to ensure a level-playing field for the elections.
In the backdrop of the BJP’s significant gains in the 2019 elections, where it secured 18 seats in Bengal, the party is aggressively campaigning to improve its performance further.
Conversely, the Trinamool aims to curtail the BJP’s advances and maintain its dominance in the state, targeting to limit the BJP to single-digit seats this election cycle.
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