165 BOOTHS, 51 CENTRES MARKED CRITICAL, 10,800 COPS DEPLOYED IN GB NAGAR

NOIDA: The Gautam Budh Nagar administration has identified 165 polling booths and 51 polling centres as “critical” in the district, officials said on Thursday.

Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place, including web casting, deployment of micro-observers, CCTV cameras, and personnel from central paramilitary forces (CPMF) to ensure free and fair polling.

Official said the booths and centres have been declared “critical” based on analysis of previous elections.

Additional district magistrate (enforcement), Nitin Madan said, “The 165 polling booths and 51 polling centres have been identified as critical, based on several aspects and observations based on previous elections. There are a total of 81 polling centres that have been identified as ‘critical’ in Khurja and Sikandrabad.”

District magistrate and chief electoral officer, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Manish Kumar Verma said, “The district has been divided into 120 sectors and each of them, including critical booths, are being manned central armed forces personnel.”

He added: “Live web-casting will be done at 931 of the total 1,852 polling booths.the footage will be monitored live at the district control room, state control room and Delhi control room. The remaining booths will be covered by CCTVS and video cameras. Around 100 micro-observers have been deployed at critical booths for strict vigil and to ensure smooth polling takes place.”

More than 20% EVM machines have been kept in reserve if any replacements are required, he said.

Officials said that 10,800 police personnel have been deployed in the district, including 22 companies of Central Para Military Force (CPMF), six companies of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), and 3,000 personnel from home guards to ensure free and fair polls in the district.