Tight security will be arranged at the 13,133 gram panchayats and 1,30,749 wards for which elections are being conducted at 1,35,852 polling stations, Director General of Police D. Gautam Sawang has said.
“To ensure peaceful conduct of the elections, the police have bound over 1,47,391 persons. Public and private persons have surrendered 9,199 licensed weapons,” Mr. Gautam Sawang told the media at the AP Police Headquarters at Mangalagiri here on Saturday.
He further said that 12,779 security-related (bound over) and 707 cases pertaining to seizures such as gold, liquor, ganja etc. were registered.
Striking forces
“Bandobust is being arranged at the polling stations with 1,122 route mobile parties, 257 striking forces, 143 special striking forces, and 199 mobile check posts. Besides, nine reserve parties attached to the Superintendents of Police and nine reserve parties under the control of Addition SPs will be kept ready,” he said.
The police had so far booked 44 cases against election-related offences. This figure was 87 in 2013 local body elections.
The police had so far seized ₹5.02 crore in cash, 9.5 kg gold, 188 kg silver, 125 vehicles, 2,278 kg of ganja and liquor, all worth about ₹13.03 crore, the DGP said.
‘Social media posts under scanner’
“We have 8,555 sensitive and 6,254 hyper sensitive polling stations. We have set up static check- posts and arranged pickets in faction areas. Besides, mapping of vulnerable polling stations has also been done,” Mr. Sawang said, and added that special focus would be laid on social media posts.
Special Enforcement Bureau (SEB) Commissioner Vineet Brijlal said that 13,092 excise offenders were bound over. Special drives and surprise raids were being conducted in the sensitive and hyper sensitive areas.
“Since January 23, the SEB has arrested 1,979 persons in 2,587 cases, seized 12,547 litres of IMFL, and 20,578 litres of ID liquor. It has destroyed 8,23,044 litres of fermented jaggery wash. We have also seized 355 vehicles,” Mr. Vineet said.
Additional DG (Law and Order) Ravi Shankar Ayyanar, and DIGs Rajashekar Babu and Pala Raju were present.
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