Bengal Panchayat Polls: HC Directs Deployment Of Equal Number Of CISF, State Police In Booths

The State poll Commissioner Rajiva Sinha has scheduled the West Bengal Panchayat Polls to be held on July 8, 2023. 

Representational Image. ( Image Source :PTI )

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday ordered the State Election Commission (SEC) to deploy Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) for the upcoming West Bengal Panchayat elections. The State poll Commissioner Rajiva Sinha has scheduled the West Bengal Panchayat Polls to be held on July 8, 2023. 

As per the directions, booths will have 50% CISF and state police respectively, out of which, 65000 will be central forces, and 70000 state forces.

The Chief Justice's division bench directed the IG BSF and the nodal officers that each booth will have 50% central forces personnel and 50% state police. Central forces will remain deployed till the counting of votes.

Earlier last week, Union Ministry of Home Affairs had announced that 315 central armed forces companies would be deployed in West Bengal for the forthcoming panchayat elections on July 8.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and Railway Protection Force (RPF) will be deployed in the state where violence erupted during the nomination process.

On June 20, the Supreme Court dismissed petitions filed by the West Bengal government and the poll body challenging the deployment of central forces during panchayat elections, upholding the Calcutta High Court's order from June 15 to deploy central forces across all districts in West Bengal.

Voting for almost 75,000 seats in the three-tier Panchayati Raj system will take place on July 8, with results expected on July 11. Almost 61,000 voting stations have been set up.