New Delhi, March 18 The Election Commission said on Wednesday that as many as 25 lakh personnel, including 8.5 lakh security personnel, will be deployed for the five assembly elections to be held next month.
As many as 17.4 crore voters are eligible to participate in the elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry.
The EC noted that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, while announcing the election schedule, had stated that officials have been directed to act with complete impartiality to ensure that the elections are violence-free and inducement-free, so that each voter votes without fear or favour.
The personnel deployed include nearly 15 lakh polling officials, 8.5 lakh security personnel, 40,000 counting personnel, 49,000 micro observers, 21,000 sector officers, and 15,000 micro observers for counting, among others.
Assembly elections will be held in Assam on a single day on April 9, along with Kerala and Puducherry, while Tamil Nadu will vote on April 23, and West Bengal will go to the polls in two phases on April 23 and April 29, the Election Commission announced on Sunday.
The counting of votes for all the elections will be on May 4.