Make full use of CPF for poll duties: EC tells Maharashtra

Reminding Maharashtra to tone up security for peaceful polls, the Election Commission has directed the state to ensure full and optimal use of Central Police Forces for poll duties and not keep them only as a strike reserve.

Reminding Maharashtra to tone up security for peaceful polls, the Election Commission has directed the state to ensure full and optimal use of Central Police Forces for poll duties and not keep them only as a strike reserve.

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Under no circumstances should the CPF be kept in reserve with police stations as Quick Response Team or as reserve by any other nomenclature, the EC wrote to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Maharashtra.

On the poll day on October 13, the CPF provided for conduct of elections shall be deployed either in static mode at polling stations or in mobile mode with sector officers on election routes, the EC said.

EC sources said that nearly 18,000 CPF personnel would be available for poll duties in Maharashtra.

The Commission had earlier directed poll bound Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh that CPF would be used for the purpose of area domination, conducting flag march, confidence building among electors and checking of border till two days before the poll.

For the poll day, the CPF shall be assigned duties of guarding polling stations, poll material, poll personnel and the poll process and not to look after law and order.