CHENNAI: About one lakh police personnel will be deployed to provide security for the upcoming local body elections in the state, police sources said.The election has been scheduled in two phases — polling for areas that fall under the Corporation will take place on the Ocotber 17 and for other areas on Ocotber 19. Out of the total 85, 647 poll booths in the state, 47,627 booths will have polling on 17th and the rest 38,020 booths on 19th, sources said.Now that the allies and candidates have been announced and election campaigns are on in full swing, police have begun drawing up elaborate security measures. Inspector General of Police Alexander Mohan and Superintendent of Police Mohan are preparing the security measures.Police sources said around 80,000 to one lakh police personnel will be deployed as security in the state out of which at least 20 per cent will be retired police personnel. Retired police personnel from the ranks of police constables to inspectors willing to attend the election bandobust duty have already been invited to register themselves, sources said, adding that around 2,500 NCC students will also be part of the security. “NCC students will be regulating queues in the booths and traffic outside booths. No forces from the Centre will be called,” a senior police official said.Police said the elections in 2006 saw local police and armed police personnel from other states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala providing security and that this time too they had been requested to provide security.They said they were in the process of assessing security required for each booth even as identifying and listing of sensitive booths in the State was being done.“We will see if there is any previous poll-related incident in an area, besides comparing the break up of population as minorities need to be protected and encouraged to exercise their franchise because local issues can flare up. We will also look into communal issues and booth capturing incidents that have happened earlier. Based on all this, we will decide if a booth is sensitive or not. Superintendents of police in the districts are in the process of making the list. We will have extra security for sensitive booths and mobile parties will frequent such booths,” said another senior police official.Following the Paramakudi firing incident, southern districts will see more deployment of forces, said police sources.
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