Maharashtra police not to guard EVMs

The state police in poll-bound Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh will be kept away from guarding the strong rooms where the Electronic Voting Machines will be stored after polling.

The Central Police Force (CPF) would guard the strong rooms round the clock where the polled EVMs would be kept till the day of counting, the Election Commission has said.

The Commission has directed the Chief Electoral Officers of these three states to take this additional security measure in view of availability of adequate number of CPF for the assembly polls.

EC sources said that while deployment of CPF in Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh was normal, more security forces have been sent to naxal-affected places like Gadchiroli in Maharashtra in order to ensure peaceful polling.

Reviewing the preparedness with DGPs and Home Secretaries of Maharashtra and Haryana as also adjoining states earlier this week, the EC had given a series of guidelines to them.

It had directed the poll-bound states to conduct raids to unearth illicit arms, liquor and explosives manufacturing units and crack down on organised criminal syndicates, known smugglers, history sheeters and anti-social elements. 

As part of special measures, the EC has asked the authorities to set up effective pickets and carry out patrolling to check influx of both licensed and illicit arms and ammunition into the poll-bound states.

The EC has also suggested measures to check illicit liquor and threatened action against known boot-leggers, anti-social elements, known criminals and communal elements.

Effective checks should also be kept on unauthorized vehicles, carrying men, money and other material which may cause disturbance to peace and order. The three states go to polls on October 13.