The Election Commission of India (ECI) has decided that police observers appointed by the commission will decide the deployment of both Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and state police personnel in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections.
This move will significantly reduce the role of the district administration and local police leadership in determining the movements of security forces.
The decision came after the full body of the commission completed a two-day review visit to West Bengal to assess the extent of preparedness for the elections.
According to senior EC officials, “This step was taken after reviewing incidents of election-related violence in previous elections in the state and following requests from several political parties to bring the control of security forces directly under the supervision of the Commission to prevent any possible misuse of the deployment.”
Until now, district magistrates – who also serve as district election officers – had the power to decide the movement and deployment of CAPF civilian police forces during the period when the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) was in force, including before, during and after the polls.
Meanwhile, the deployment of state police personnel at the district level has been decided by the Superintendent of Police (SP) or Commissioner of Police in the commissionerate areas.
“The IEC Central Police Observers will now take the final decision not only regarding the deployment and movement of the CAPF but also on the deployment of state police personnel across districts. This effectively places the operational deployment of both central and district police forces under the supervision of the Commission Observers during the election period,” the EC official cited above said.
ECI officials also added: “The change was made after several political parties raised concerns before the committee during meetings in Kolkata, alleging that in the previous elections both central forces and local police personnel were deployed in a manner to favor the ruling party and its local cadres. Security forces were often sent to areas where they were not needed while sensitive pockets were left without adequate protection,” the officials said.
The poll body also directed the state administration to complete road marches and area control exercises by CAPF along with local police personnel in all districts at the earliest. This first phase of these exercises must be completed by March 14. So far, around 480 companies of the CAPF have reached West Bengal in two phases and have been distributed at the district level for deployment alongside the state police forces.
Speaking at a press conference in Kolkata during the Commission’s visit, Chief Election Commissioner Ganesh Kumar said the Commission would adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards election-related violence. “Whether before polling, on the polling day or after the results, the Commission will not tolerate any incident of electoral violence. Strict action will be taken against those involved,” he said.
