Security heightened for 509 sensitive poll booths in Madurai

MADURAI: Election officials on Friday made arrangements to provide additional security in sensitive and vulnerable polling stations falling under both the city and rural police limits. Accordingly, police personnel for each polling station were selected by a lot process, which was carried out in the presence of collector and district election officer K Veera Raghava Rao, superintendent of police Vijayendra S Bidari and deputy commissioner of police, law and order, A Radhika.
According to officials, there are a total of 2,689 polling booths in the district. Of these, 509 have been identified as vulnerable, 11 critical and a few more as sensitive. In the city limits alone, there are 1,222 polling stations located in 312 places. Among these 312 locations, 104 were identified as vulnerable and critical.
Rao said the critical booths are classified based on the previous election's voting pattern. A booth is declared critical where more than 75% voting was recorded and a single candidate whether a winner or loser, received 75% votes in a single booth. Vulnerable booths are classified based on various factors. It could be violence, untoward activity, threat or influencing voters in the past election. It would be determined after a visit by police and revenue officials, he said.
Officials also said that a total of 5,456 security personnel including 1,452 central forces like paramilitary and central reserve police force would be deployed for the election.
The vulnerable and critical polling booths would be monitored closely. Micro observers, webcasting and additional security force have also been arranged. As far as possession of arms by individuals is concerned, about 591 licenses have been issued in the city under several police station limits.
Due to the election, owners were asked to temporarily surrender the arms along with licenses with the concerned police stations, following which 427 people have deposited them.
The remaining 167 people were asked not to deposit them since they are found to have been indispensable. Exceptions have also been given to ATM guards and other security personnel.