Mumbai: 2,747 of the 96,260 polling stations in the state have been identified as “critical” for the forthcoming assembly elections.
State police sources said that most of these booths are located in the Naxal-affected districts of Gadchiroli, Gondia and Chandrapur districts where maximum deployment of security personnel will be made during the elections.
There has been an increase of 4,931 polling stations for the 2019 assembly polls as compared to the 91,239 booths during the 2014 elections. This is on account of a rise of over 60 lakh voters in the state.
The state police have sought a massive number of additional forces for the assembly polls, apart from its own force of 2,05,120 personnel and another 42,000 home guards.
The sources said while 350 companies of central armed police personnel have been asked for the polls, another contingent of 53,000 home guards would be drawn from neighbouring Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Goa.
The state police has also sought three additional helicopters for the Naxal-hit Gadchiroli district and two speed boats for deployment in the Narmada river in Nandurbar district.
