Kolkata, April 15 -- The Election Commission (EC) will deploy 2,407 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) for the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections on April 23, a senior official said on Wednesday. The state will vote in two phases- April 23 and April 29- with counting scheduled for May 4.
Murshidabad is set to receive the highest deployment with 316 companies, including 240 in the Murshidabad Police District and 76 in Jangipur, owing to its history of unrest.
East Medinipur will see the second-highest presence with 273 companies, particularly due to the politically significant Nandigram seat, where Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari is contesting.
North Dinajpur has been divided into two police districts, with 61 companies allocated to Islampur and 71 to Raiganj. Other key deployments include 125 companies in the Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate and 44 in Siliguri Police Commissionerate.
In North Bengal, Darjeeling will get 61 companies, Jalpaiguri 92, Alipurduar 77, and Kalimpong 21. The first phase will cover eight north Bengal districts along with Murshidabad and several western and southern districts.
The EC said the deployment follows a vulnerability assessment to ensure free, fair, and peaceful polling, with forces already conducting route marches to boost voter confidence.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.