Kolkata, April 19 -- The Election Commission of India has announced the deployment of 2193 Quick Response Teams (QRTs) for the first phase of elections on April 23, when 152 Assembly constituencies will go to the polls.

The poll body also removed a micro observer Ajay Saha posted at Kirnahar under Nanoor Assembly Constituency in Birbhum, following a complaint by the Trinamool Congress alleging his links with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The Commission has announced a large-scale deployment of QRTs to tackle law-and-order issues during polling. Of the 2,193 teams to be deployed across 16 districts, Murshidabad will have the highest number (288), followed by East Midnapore (253) and West Midnapore (248).

Bankura will have 180 QRTs, Birbhum 161, Malda 157, Purulia 139, Cooch Behar 133 and 113 teams will operate under the Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate. Each QRT will include at least one SI/ASI-rank state police officer along with 4-6 central force personnel, with higher deployment in sensitive areas.

The teams will be equipped with vehicles, cameras and booth maps, and will maintain constant coordination with sector offices and control rooms. They are tasked with responding immediately to incidents such as booth capturing or violence. Polling in the first phase will cover all north Bengal districts, including Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar, along with parts of Jangalmahal and districts such as Birbhum, Murshidabad, East and West Midnapore, and West Burdwan. The Commission reiterated that any disturbance will be addressed promptly to ensure free and fair elections.

Meanwhile, the TMC had questioned the neutrality of Ajay Saha, who was deployed as a micro observer and assigned to collect votes of absentee voters at booth number 149 on Saturday. The party alleged that Saha was a known BJP leader. Poll-related activity at the booth was briefly halted following the objection. The ruling party submitted a written complaint to the Commission, which subsequently removed Saha and appointed a replacement.

Saha, however, denied the allegations, stating that he was serving in his professional capacity as a Development Officer with LIC and had performed election duties for over two decades without political affiliation. 

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.