The Centre will deploy 57 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) for the April 23 Lok Sabha election in the State.
The office of Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Kerala, received the confirmation from the Union Home Ministry on Saturday. CEO Teeka Ram Meena has discussed the Central decision and deployment plan with senior police officers. The plan would be finalised by Sunday, Mr. Meena said.
‘‘This is the final figure. Forty-two of the CAPF companies will arrive on April 19 from Tamil Nadu. (Tamil Nadu goes to the polls on April 18). Ten companies are already deployed in the State. The remaining five will arrive in due course,’’ Mr. Meena said.
Once the deployment plan was finalised, it would be sent to the Election Commission for approval, he said.
In finalising the deployment plan, priority would be given to sensitive locations such as the politically volatile Kannur, Maoist-infested areas in north Kerala and Pathanamthitta and neighbouring constituencies affected by the Sabarimala controversy.
Ahead of the polls, election officials had pinpointed approximately 750 ‘vulnerable, critical and sensitive’ polling stations in the State. Kannur accounts for more than half of them.
Initially, there was confusion regarding the strength of the Central forces to be deployed in the State. In 2014, the Centre had deployed 55 companies in the State. Though it was finally decided to ask for an additional 15 companies for the 2019 election, the State had to settle for 57.