By IANS,
Lucknow : Tight security cover has been put in place in Uttar Pradesh’s 16 Lok Sabha constituencies that go to polls Thursday, a police official said here Wednesday.
“Tight security arrangements have been made for holding free and fair elections. For the first phase of polling 95 companies of central paramilitary forces have been deployed in 13 districts,” Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Brij Lal told reporters.
Companies of Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force, Railway Protection Force, Central Industrial Security Forces, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, and armed police of Haryana and Rajasthan have been deputed apart from 78 companies of Provincial Armed Constabulary of the state police, Lal said.
According to the state election commission, 24.9 million people are eligible to cast votes for the 271 candidates in the fray in the first phase of polling. Against the 259 male candidates, there are only 12 female candidates contesting in the first phase.
About 42,859 polling booths have been set up in the state for the first phase of polls, poll panel said. Over 32,000 electronic voting machines (EVMs) would be used under the first phase of the polling.
The 16 constituencies going to the polls April 16 are: Maharajganj, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Deoria, Bansgaon, Lalganj, Azamgarh, Ghosi, Salempur, Ballia, Machchilishaher, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Mirzapur and Robertsganj.