EC discusses deployment of forces in K'taka with Home Secy

New Delhi, Mar 31 (UNI) The Election Commission today discussed deployment of para-military forces in poll-bound Karnataka with Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta ahead of declaring the election schedule for the 224-member state legislative assembly.

The three-member Commission, under the chairmanship of Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami, placed the security review report on Karnataka before the Home Secretary and urged him to deploy necessary para-military forces there, EC sources said.

The Centre has assured all possible help to the EC for conducting ''free, fair and objective'' elections in the state, the sources said.

On March 27, the Commission had a meeting with a senior Karnataka government official to access the security arrangement for conducting elections in the state.

Two days later, the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka issued the 224 newly delimited assembly constituencies.

With this meeting, the formal announcement of the election schedule for the Karnataka polls is expected any time soon, the sources added.

The other two members of the Commission -- Navin Chawla and N Y Qureshi -- also participated in the meeting.

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