EC gears up, will visit UP next week

New Delhi: To ensure that the seven-phase assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh beginning April 7 are an infallible affair, the Election Commission will be visiting the state next week to ensure that the seven-phase assembly elections in the politically sensitive state are a infallible affair.

The visit of the entire Commission headed by Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswamy comes after the Chief Secretary and the DGP of the state were removed to see that the polls are free and fair amid apprehensions by certain political parties.

Gopalaswamy, who has described the poll in the state with 403 assembly seats as a "mammoth task", would visit Kanpur on March 26 and Agra on March 28.

He along with two other Election Commissioners Navil Chawla and S Y Quraishi would review with senior civil and police officials the poll arrangements for the first phase poll covering 62 constituencies.

EC sources said over 67,000 Central para military forces personnel would be deployed for each phase in order to ensure free and fair polls in the state.

The first batch of 5,000 Central para military forces personnel would arrive on Monday for area domination, flag marches and confidence building measures. The rest of the force would arrive on April 2 and 3.

The EC has also appointed seven Special Observers for each phases in the state.

News agency PTI quoted sources as saying that while the Railway Board has been approached for running special trains for the movement of security forces, UP administration has lined up as many as 2,200 buses for transport of forces to various districts.

They added that about 1,400 people were provided with security cover with several of them facing criminal charges.

The Commission had last week reviewed the security situation with senior civil and police officials from the nine states bordering UP and instructed them to keep a strict vigil on the movement of criminals.

The CEC had said there were "special problems" in the state such as some people enjoying unauthorised security cover and intimidation of voters.

The full Commission had already briefed the poll observers appointed for the first four phases and would be doing so for the remaining three phases on April three, they were quoted as saying.