The district administration on Friday admitted an acute shortage of police personnel to ensure free and fair polls in the state capital.

In-charge district magistrate Manoj Kumar said the administration has sought additional 5,212 cops for polls for local bodies, including Patna Municipal Corporation on May 17. “We require 2,072 deputy superintendents of police ranked officials, 3,854 havildars and 8,045 constables for the polls. Presently, we have only 1,322, 2,085 and 5,352 of them respectively. We have sent the requisition for additional cops to the home department and are expecting the approval soon,” Manoj said.

Manoj said officials have been asked to identify sensitive booths. He added that the administration has adequate electronic voting machines to conduct the elections. The process of verifying firearm licences will be complete by May 9.

“The training of government employees for election duty has begun and it will be carried out in three phases. Speedy trial of 130 candidates with criminal antecedents has also started,” he said.

On being asked why the candidature of contestants, who do not fulfil or violate criteria, was not cancelled, Kumar said verifying the information furnished by the candidates was the sole discretion of returning officers concerned and it can be challenged in court after elections are over.

Meanwhile Patna High Court on Friday referred the matter of cancellation of former PMC mayor Sanjay Kumar’s candidature from ward number 39 of the civic body to the state election commission.