With the Maharashtra Assembly elections scheduled to take place tomorrow, the police are ensuring law and order is maintained across the state, particularly in the vicinity of the polling stations. In Pune, over 18,000 police personnel have been deployed at 8,462 polling stations across the 21 Assembly constituencies in the district.
The deployment includes 600 police officers, 6,800 constables, 1,750 home guards and 17 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) teams for Pune City; 5,180 policemen and 11 CAPF teams for Pune Rural; and 4,017 policemen and six CAPF teams for Pimpri-Chinchwad.
The Pune City Police Commissionerate will oversee 3,331 polling stations, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissionerate will manage 1,928 stations, and the Pune SP Rural jurisdiction will handle 3,203 polling centres. Additionally, 6,594 polling stations across the district will be equipped with webcasting facilities to ensure transparency and enhance monitoring during the election.
To facilitate the movement of voting machines and polling personnel, a total of 3,433 vehicles, including 1,646 buses and 1,787 jeeps, have been requisitioned. This logistical effort aims to ensure timely and efficient operations across all polling stations.
Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar emphasised that special arrangements have been made at sensitive polling stations to ensure voters can cast their votes without fear. Dedicated monitoring teams will also remain vigilant to prevent any disturbances. At the sensitive polling stations, videography arrangements have been made, he added.
Additionally, carrying mobile phones within 100 metres of polling stations has been prohibited for candidates, their representatives, voters, and others, except for the presiding officer and micro-observers. Any mobile phone found at polling stations will lead to legal action, informed Pune District Collector Suhas Diwase.
If any voter inadvertently brings a mobile phone while coming to vote, he /she will need to leave it beyond 100 metres from the polling station. All candidates and voters are instructed to comply with the guidelines issued, he added.
Meanwhile, Diwase noted that 1,925 citizens above 85 years of age and 360 disabled have availed of postal voting facilities. He added that 15,602 police officials and other government staff on election duty used the facility of casting their vote at dedicated facilitation centres. The district collector also stated that static surveillance teams (SST) crackdown on poll time inducements yielded seizures estimated to be worth ₹40 crore which includes cash, precious metals, freebies, liquor and drugs.
