Lok Sabha elections 2024: Police gears up for battle Uttar Pradesh

UP CM Yogi Adityanath addressing an election rally at Meerut on Thursday

The Uttar Pradesh police have made effective arrangements to ensure smooth conduct of the first phase of the Lok Sabha election 2024. Many parts of western Uttar Pradesh are going to the polls on Friday, April 19. Meanwhile, the attention of big political leaders are busy in road shows and campaigns for candidates in the constituencies that will go to polls in the second phase.

The first phase of the seven phases of Lok Sabha elections is to be held in Uttar Pradesh on April 19. The Uttar Pradesh police have made huge police arrangements to ensure free, fair and safe conduct of the first phase of polling. "The first phase of polling is scheduled to be held on April 19 at 14,849 polling stations of 7,689 polling centres in eight Lok Sabha constituencies located in nine districts of the state, Saharanpur, Shamli, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Moradabad, Rampur, Bareilly and Pilibhit," said sources from the police.

To avoid any anti-social elements during the polling and voting period, about 248 barriers/nakas have been set up in nine districts that would go to polls in the first phase. Out of these, 11 barriers have been set up in Pilibhit, a district sharing international borders with Nepal and 88 barriers have been set up on the interstate borders of Saharanpur, Shamli, Moradabad, Bijnor, Rampur, Muzaffarnagar and Pilibhit districts and continuous intensive checking is being done.

"About 2,366 barriers/nakas have been set up in all the districts of the state. Continuous monitoring and vigilance is being ensured by installing additional CCTV cameras on all international and interstate barriers," said sources from the police.

To ensure smooth conduct of the first phase of polling, 6,018 inspectors/sub inspectors, 35,750 head constables/constables, 24,992 home guards, 60 companies of PAC force and 220 companies of CAPF force that includes (BSF/ITBP/CRPF/CISF/SSB/RPF) have been deployed. Besides, 6,764 village chowkidars and 155 PRD jawans have also been deployed as Force Multiplier. Apart from the above, gazetted officers and other police forces will remain continuously active in all the districts for general and law and order duty. "The CAPF (Central Armed Police Force) will be deployed at most of the vulnerable and critical areas to see that the law and order is maintained during the polling period. Bandobast is also deployed at the interstate border connecting Haryana, Uttarakhand and other parts to see that no anti-social elements create any ruckus or disturb the polling in the state," said D K Thakur, additional director general of police, Meerut.

In the above districts related to the first phase, 348 flying squad teams, 459 static surveillance teams and 55 QRT teams have been formed and continuous vigilance, alertness and checking action is being taken. In all the districts of the state, a total of 1,824 flying squad teams, 1,470 static surveillance teams and 459 QRT teams have been formed and continuous checking and enforcement action is being taken.

In order to conduct the first phase of voting of the Lok Sabha General Elections 2024 in a free, fear-free and safe manner, the intelligence system and social media cell have been activated and alerted in all the districts. "Continuous monitoring is being ensured by sharing information and coordination with all the districts through the election cell and control room constituted at the police headquarters level," said a police officer from the UP police.

Meanwhile, election campaigning and road shows of all big political leaders moved towards the second phase constituency. Starting with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is going to hold a rally in Amroha on April 19. A joint rally for candidates of Hathras and Aligarh will be on April 22 in Aligarh. Similar such joint rallies will be at Agra and Fatehpur Sikri on April 25 and other parts. Also Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will be visiting three districts in Uttar Pradesh today. He will be visiting Hapur, Bulandshahr and Meerut City. He had first reached Jhajjar in Bulandshahar at 12.30 pm where a public meeting in support of BJP candidate Mahesh Sharma was organised.

Thereafter Yogi addressed a rally in Sisauli village of Meerut and would campaign for BJP candidate Arun Govil. Lastly, a public meeting was held at Ramlila Maidan in Hapur in support of BJP candidate Atul Garg from Ghaziabad.

Similarly other party leaders such as Rahul Gandhi from the Congress and Akhilesh Yadav from Samajwadi Party had also held a meeting on Wednesday at Ghaziabad and are moving towards other constituencies in the state.

BSP leader Mayawati, too, is active and personally attending public meetings to ensure that her party takes a good margin in the election. In a public meeting she had also announced her intentions to carve out a new state from the western Uttar Pradesh, if her party was elected to power.

April 19
Voting day for first phase