Gujarat is increasing security measures as the five states’ assembly elections, which are set to take place between November 7 and November 30, draw nearer.
Ten IPS officers from the state are being dispatched to Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh to act as police poll observers. These officers will stay stationed in the designated states until the vote-counting process is completed. They currently hold non-executive positions ranking between SP and DIG.
Insiders told a city tabloid that two police poll observers from Gujarat will be stationed at every poll-bound state.
The focus was on preventing illegal activities, especially during the Rajasthan (November 25) and Madhya Pradesh (November 17) polls.
“Our top priority is to thwart any illicit activities that might disrupt the electoral process,” an unnamed official told the paper.
“For Rajasthan’s November 25 polls and Madhya Pradesh’s November 17 polls, we’ve set up 68 interstate check posts across Dahod, Mahisagar, Sabarkantha, Arvalli-Modasa, and Banaskantha, which border Rajasthan, as well as Dahod and Chota Udepur, adjoining Madhya Pradesh.”
The tabloid claimed that these check-posts are already bearing fruit. Illegitimate goods, cash, and alcohol, worth Rs 1.5 crore, have been seized.
Elections in Rajasthan were rescheduled from November 23 to November 25. The tabloid added that several political outfits reported concerns about the potential implications on voter turnout from mass weddings on the original date, which prompted the change.
High-level meetings involving senior police officials from Rajasthan, MP, and Gujarat and chief secretaries are on in the backdrop of the approaching elections.
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