Security forces are on high alert for the first phase of polling in Gujarat on Tuesday after mystery blasts rocked Borsad in Anand on two consecutive days.
One killed in Borsad, 1st phase polling today for 87 seats
AHMEDABAD: Security forces are on high alert for the first phase of polling in Gujarat on Tuesday after mystery blasts rocked Borsad in Anand on two consecutive days, Sunday and Monday.
A young girl, a ragpicker, was killed in Sunday’s blast which significantly was in the constituency of Bharat Solanki, who is seen as a strong contender for the chief ministership if the Congress comes to power.
Although Borsad will vote only in the second phase on December 16, the blasts served as reminder of the highly charged atmosphere in the state, which has prompted the Election Commission to push in as many as 52,000 central paramilitary forces for each phase of polling.
This is the highest deployment in any state outside of Jammu and Kashmir on election day.
A 17.9-million-strong electorate will decide the fate of 669 candidates in the fray for 87 seats, spread across Saurashtra, Kutch and south Gujarat on Tuesday.
The stakes are high for both the Congress and the BJP as reverberations of the outcome of the fiercely fought elections to the 182-member House will be felt even at the national level.
The challenge is no less for the Election Commission in ensuring a peaceful poll and it has left no stone unturned in setting up an elaborate security network. A total of 19,924 polling booths are in place. Of these, 1,306 have been marked as “hyper-sensitive” and 4,834 as “sensitive”.
Security will be tight inside and outside all booths with the forces under instructions to frisk voters before they enter.
Water cannons and tear gas shells have been provided to all platoons. An Election Commission spokesman said the Rapid Action Force has also been put on standby and, in some areas, State Reserve Police Force will be deployed as well.
While the BJP is contesting all the 87 seats in the first phase, the Congress has fielded 82 candidates, leaving five to its allies. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), a new player in Gujarat, is contesting 78 seats.
There are a total of 53 women contestants. Saurashtra accounts for 52 seats, there are six in Kutch and 29 in South Gujarat.
About 1.20 lakh government employees have already fanned out to these regions to conduct the election.
A band of 3,397 Central Government employees working in the state, have been appointed as micro-observers. They will be posted at notified booths to monitor the poll process.
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