Army to be deployed on Dec 29 for election security

Army is set to be deployed for a 13-day period surrounding the January 7 general polls to help maintain security across the country. According to a circular issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, troops will be on duty from Dec 29 to Jan 10.

With over 42,000 polling centers catering to more than 111 million voters in this poll, authorities plan to deploy 15-17 security personnel at each center.

Additional Secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath said, "The army will work in tandem with local civil administration, serving as mobile teams and striking forces during their deployment. Security personnel, including Ansar and VDP members, assigned to polling stations will be on duty for a total of five days - three days before and two days after the vote."

During the 11th parliamentary polls on December 30, 2018, the army was deployed to provide security 10 days before and after election day, from December 24 to January 2.