For terror-free and fair polls

New Delhi, March 1: On a specific request from the Election Commission, the Centre has agreed to position 600 to 650 companies of para-military forces during the five-phase Bengal polls.

This is the first time that such a huge force ? numbering about 75,000 personnel ? has been sanctioned for the Assembly elections.

For last year?s Bihar polls ? the most peaceful in recent memory ? that saw the end of the Lalu Prasad Yadav-Rabri Devi regime, 600 companies of central forces had been deployed.

Sources said the commission had sent in a request to the Union home ministry asking to make available about 1,000 companies for Bengal. The possibility of Naxalite strikes was one of the major reasons for the stepped-up security set-up.

After apparently conducting three meetings with the heads of para-military forces, the home ministry finally agreed to allocate a little over 600 companies.

While announcing the election schedule for the four states and Pondicherry, chief election commissioner B.B. Tandon today said the decision to conduct the Bengal polls in five phases was prompted by ground realities like area and availability of central forces for Naxalite-infested pockets.

According to the sources, the companies that are being drawn mainly from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Border Security Force (BSF) will be positioned 7 to 12 days before the elections. The Centre will try to send the entire force in one batch and it will remain in the state till the last day of elections on May 8.