OUR CORRESPONDENT
Itanagar: Security forces in Arunachal Pradesh will keep strict vigil along the Indo-Myanmar border to thwart any attempts of anti-social elements to disrupt the poll process from across the border, a senior official at the state election office said on Monday. Necessary instructions have been given to the security forces in the state so that anti-social elements from across the Indo-Myanmar border cannot enter the state to disrupt the poll process on April 19, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pawan Kumar Sain told a Press conference here.
The northeastern state will go to simultaneous polls for two Lok Sabha and 60 assembly constituencies, in the first phase on April 19. “We will not seal the international border but maintain strict vigil so that anti-social elements cannot sneak into the state’s territory. We have also directed the forces deployed in the border to conduct round the clock patrolling,” Sain said. He said that strict monitoring of the borders the state shares with Nagaland and Assam would be made.
“Our chief secretary and Director General of Police (DGP) has convened several rounds of talks with their counterparts in Assam and Nagaland and resolved certain issues that cropped up during the 2019 elections,” Sain said.
He added that the state chief secretary on Wednesday convened a review meeting with his Assam counterpart and discussed border issues. The CEO informed that the state election machinery has so far bind down 2,864 habitual offenders who created law and order problems earlier during polls.
“If any of them will take law in their hands, they will be dealt with strictly as per the ECI guidelines,” Sain said and added that the election machinery in the state so far seized 936 illegal arms and ammunitions while 24,999 licensed arms have been deposited so far. The CEO appealed to the people who have not yet deposited their arms to deposit within four days or face strict action. He said that the static surveillance teams and police have so far seized cash and Indian Made Foreign Liquor, worth over Rs 11.5 crore. All the 37 inter-state entry points are under constant vigil, he added. “We have announced April 19 as ‘Dry Day’ and also as a public holiday,” Sain added.
A total of 8,92,694 electorates including 4,54,256 female voters, will decide the fate of 133 assembly candidates along with 14 candidates for the two Lok Sabha seats in the state. There are a total of 2,226 polling booths in the state out of which 228 polling stations could be reached only through foot march. As many as 480 polling booths will fall under shadow areas, while 588 booths have been identified as critical and 443 as vulnerable, the CEO added.
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