Over 3,000 polling booths marked critical ahead of Delhi house polls

Delhi Police classify over 3,000 polling booths as "critical" for the February 5 assembly elections, citing law-and-order concerns and past incidents.

In a comprehensive reassessment of over 13,000 polling booths at 2,650 polling premises across Delhi, the Delhi Police have categorised more than 3,000 booths in nearly 900 premises as “critical.” The assessment, conducted based on historical data and the likelihood of law-and-order issues, was shared with the Election Commission of India (ECI) for final approval, officials said on Monday.

According to the ECI’s norms, areas with past incidents of electoral offences like booth capturing, violence, or re-polling due to a compromised process are automatically classified as critical (HT Photo)

The assembly elections for Delhi’s 70 constituencies are set for February 5. The number of critical booths identified this year is nearly 10% higher than in the 2020 assembly elections.

A senior Delhi Police officer said the classification of polling booths as critical is determined using predefined criteria. “We usually assess it from the law-and-order perspective. Polling booths where voting was more than 90%, or where more than 75% of votes went to a single candidate in any election in the last five years, or where polling was less than 10%, are marked as critical. Additionally, areas with vulnerable pockets, as identified by local police stations, are included,” the officer said, requesting anonymity.

According to the ECI’s norms, areas with past incidents of electoral offences like booth capturing, violence, or re-polling due to a compromised process are automatically classified as critical. This also includes areas where significant FIRs were filed for election-related violence in the last five years, they added.

The officer added that extra security will be deployed at critical locations. “Two head constables and half a section of central armed police forces (CAPF) will be deployed at each critical premise in addition to the standard deployment,” the senior officer said.

Critical polling booths are further defined as those where non-participation by voters, violence, or large numbers of missing voters were observed during previous assembly and general elections. “After verifying all 13,033 polling booths, we’ve identified over 3,000 as critical, located across 900 premises. These numbers align with the 2019 Lok Sabha elections when 2,800 booths were marked as critical,” the officer said, adding that similar classifications were made in the 2020 assembly polls.

Additional measures are being implemented to ensure a smooth election process. Another senior officer stated that district deputy commissioners of police have been directed to identify troublemakers and history-sheeters in their areas. “All of them will either be externed or bound down as a precaution. We’ll deploy flying squads and static surveillance teams across police stations to monitor illegal activities, such as unaccounted cash transactions, distribution of liquor, or other inducements for voters,” the officer said.