Lok Sabha Elections 2024: 60,000 police personnel, drones and cameras to ensure peaceful polling in Delhi

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: With 60,000 personnel, including 51 companies of paramilitary forces and 13,500 home guards from Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, and drones and CCTV cameras, the Delhi Police is all prepared to conduct the Lok Sabha polls 2024 in the national capital.

The voting for all seven Lok Sabha seats of Delhi is scheduled on May 25 (Saturday) in the sixth phase of the elections. 

These seven seats include-

• East Delhi
• New Delhi
• North East Delhi
• North West Delhi
• South Delhi
• West Delhi
• Chandni Chowk

Heavy police deployment 

Deputy Commissioner of Police (election cell) Sanjay Sehrawat told media that an elaborate arrangement has been made to ensure peaceful elections in the national capital. Around 60,000 police personnel will be deployed in Delhi on the polling day and at least 33,000 of them will be guarding voting centres, DCP Sehrawat said.

"There are a total of 2,628 voting centres of which 429 are sensitive. Extra paramilitary personnel with drones and CCTV cameras will be deployed in these sensitive poll centres," he said.

The officer said that around 13,500 home guards from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand and 4,000 from Delhi will also be deployed on the polling day. Besides, the traffic police, PCR units of the Delhi Police will also keep a watch in their respective areas. Delhi has 1.52 crore voters.

Another police officer said the checking at Delhi borders will be intensified from a day before the polling. To maintain law and order, Delhi Police are not leaving any stone unturned, with the traffic police and PCR units also actively monitoring their respective areas. 

"Delhi shares its borders with Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. The officers are in touch with their counterparts in both the states to prevent any illegal activity," the officer said.

Flag march in national capital 

The Delhi Police has recovered around Rs 14 crore of unaccountable cash since the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into force, he said. The officer said that flag march, foot march and area domination exercise to boost the confidence of community and deterrence for anti-social elements have already being done in various parts of Delhi.

Special Commissioner of Police (law and order, zone II) Madhup Tewari conducted a flag march and area domination exercise in the South East District and South District, covering the areas of Jamia, Shaheen Bagh, Okhla Industrial Area, Ambedkar Nagar, Sangam Vihar, Malviya Nagar and Tigri on May 22 and 23.

"Our priority is to create a safe and conducive environment for all the voters. The flag march and area domination are part of our comprehensive strategy to prevent any untoward incidents and build trust among the residents," SCP Tewari said.

Joint Commissioner of Police (southern range) SK Jain said "voting is not just a right, but a duty of every citizen. We urge everyone to come forward and cast their vote with confidence. The police teams are working relentlessly round the clock to ensure conduct of peaceful and incident free election."

He also requested voters to inform authorities in case of any electoral malpractice or inducement or any type of suspicious or illegal activities observed by them in their respective areas. The information may be given to the Delhi Police Control Room on 112, JCP Jain said.

Delhi Police have rolled out extensive security measures to ensure smooth polling across the city. The deployment plan includes around 60,000 police personnel on the polling day, with at least 33,000 specifically tasked with guarding the 13,637 (2,891 critical) polling stations at 2,627 locations.

Additionally, the Delhi Police have earmarked the sensitive polling centres for extra surveillance. "Extra paramilitary personnel equipped with drones and CCTV cameras will be deployed in these sensitive centres to ensure heightened security," the officer said

Meanwhile, flag marches, foot marches, and area domination exercises have been conducted in different districts of the national capital. During the exercise, the officers visited various critical polling centres, assessing security arrangements and engaging with the local people there. 

Safety of voters 

“The primary objective of this initiative was to bolster the confidence among the residents, ensuring that they feel safe and cast their votes without fear or favour. This proactive measure aims to deter any potential disturbances and assures the community of the police's dedication to a free, fair. impartial and secure electoral process,” said Joint Commissioner (Southern Range), SK Jain.

"Our priority is to create a safe and conducive environment for the voters. The flag marches and area domination exercises are part of our comprehensive strategy to prevent any untoward incidents and build trust among the residents,” said Special Commissioner of Police (Law & Order), Madhup Tewari.

During foot patrol, senior officers interacted with the public, addressing their concerns and emphasising the significance of their participation in the polling process.

Jain added, "Voting is not just a right, but a duty of every citizen. We urge everyone to come forward and cast their votes with confidence. The police are working relentlessly to ensure the conduct of a peaceful and incident-free election.”  

“The people are also requested to report any electoral malpractices, or suspicious or illegal activities in their respective areas by dialling 112,” said Jain.

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