Nagaland Election Dept ready to conduct polls

Kohima, Jan 16 (UNI) Nagaland Election Department has made the requisite preparations to conduct the March 5 Assembly Elections as per the Election Commission of India (ECI) direactive, official sources said today.

Nagaland Chief Electoral Officer(CEO) C J Ponraj told UNI that despatching of election-related materials and instructions to maintain model code of conduct to the district headquarters have already been started as the election process.

He said Nagaland has a total of 13,00507 voters, comprising 64,604 male and 6,35,903 female voters, who will exercise their franchise in 1800 polling stations throughout the state.

Meanwhile, sources said the state Home Department had requested the Ministry of Home Affairs to provide at least 180 companies of central paramilitary force to conduct a free and fair elections in the state. This will be the highest ever security forces requested by the state till date. In the 1983 Assembly elections, the state had demanded 75 companies of para-military forces.

They said that Nagaland has a total of 23,000 policemen in the state. Besides, the state has nine Assam Rifles battalions and two battalions of CRPF.

Tight security was required in the state, following reports of involvement of underground elements in the election process, which may lead to booth capturing, intimidations and other crimes, they added.

UNI AS LL SRC PK SSC1108