Bihar polls: EC may deploy nearly 1 lakh CAPF troops

New Delhi, Oct 7 (PTI) Nearly one lakh troops of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) are likely to be deployed in Bihar for ensuring free, fair and peaceful Assembly polls in the state, officials said on Tuesday.

The CAPF personnel will be deployed along with those of the Bihar Police for the two-phased Bihar Assembly polls.

The EC has announced that the 243-member Bihar Assembly will go to polls on November 6 and 11. The counting of votes will be taken up on November 14.

Almost 500 companies of the CAPF have already reached Bihar as part of the pre-poll deployment. Some more companies, reaching up to 1,200 companies, could be deployed after a final approval from the EC and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the officials said.

A single CAPF company has an operational strength of about 70-80 personnel.

The maximum of the CAPF companies for the Bihar polls will be drawn from the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), followed by other forces like the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and Railway Protection Force (RPF).

Bihar had sought about 1,800 companies from the EC for the polls, the officials said.

These units will be in addition to the Bihar Police units for providing security during the upcoming Assembly polls, according to the CAPF officials. PTI NES ACB RC