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Arunachal Pradesh has urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to deploy 60 companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) for the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections in the state.
State Chief Secretary Satya Gopal requested the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, Sunil Arora, during a video conference here on Tuesday, an official communique said here on Wednesday.
Each company has about 130 personnel.
The chief secretary informed the CEC that sensitive constituencies have also been identified and measures would be taken accordingly.
Gopal stressed on strengthening surveillance along the Indo-Myanmar border and neighbouring Assam to check infiltration and unwanted activities when the CEC sought the weekly progress report on election preparedness.
"Foot march to far-flung polling stations, communication bottlenecks, and Assam-Myanmar border are specific and major challenges for free and fair elections in the state," the chief secretary said.
The CEC and Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa also held a meeting through video conferencing with all chief secretaries, DGPs, and CEOs of eastern states and sought status reports on the ongoing election preparations.
"Transfer posting of officers and officials as per ECI directive in administrative and police departments was taken into account," Gopal said and committed to post sufficient administrative officers within the first week of February, in the few districts facing severe shortage now.
"Transfer of very few left out senior administrative and police officers in home districts will be affected immediately," he said.
Proposal to appoint IAS, IPS, IFS officers and nodal officers under various categories as election observers has also been sent to ECI, he said, adding, sufficient budget to conduct elections and maintain law and order has been prepared.
DGP S B K Singh, Principal Home Secretary Dr AC Verma, Chief Election Officer Kaling Tayeng, IGP Sunil Garg, DIG K Kaming, Tax & Excise link commissioner N T Glow were also present during the video conference.
