Over 4 lakh security personnel to be deployed for Bihar Assembly elections: DGP
Patna: Over four lakh security personnel will be deployed across Bihar to ensure free, fair, and peaceful Assembly elections, Director General of Police (DGP) Vinay Kumar announced on Thursday.
In a first for the state, no security personnel will be heli-dropped at remote polling booths, with all forces reaching their deployment locations by road — a decision made possible due to significant improvements in road infrastructure, especially in rural areas.
“This is the first time we are not resorting to heli-dropping of forces. The road network is now strong enough to support safe movement even to the most remote locations,” said Kumar.
He also confirmed that no polling stations will be relocated this year, attributing the change to a notable decline in Naxal activity across the state, thanks to sustained security operations.
The Bihar Assembly elections will be held in two phases, on November 6 and 11, with counting scheduled for November 14.
To secure the electoral process, approximately:
- 500 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have already been deployed.
- Another 1,000 CAPF companies are expected to arrive by the third week of October.
- 60,000 Bihar Police personnel, 30,000 from the Bihar Special Armed Police, and 20,000 home guards will also be on duty.
- Around 2,000 reserve battalion personnel from other states will support operations.
- Approximately 19,000 newly recruited constables (currently in training) and 1.5 lakh rural chowkidars will also be mobilised for poll duty.
Each CAPF company typically includes around 100 personnel, making the CAPF contribution alone around 2 lakh troops.
Emergency response and VIP security measures
The state police will have Quick Response Teams (QRTs), including commandos from the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and the Special Task Force (STF), on standby to respond swiftly to any emergency, security breach, or critical incident.
In addition, a dedicated VIP security pool has been created in each district to ensure foolproof protection for VVIPs during the election period. These personnel have received specialised training from the National Security Guard (NSG).
Polling booths and voter security
Bihar will have 90,712 polling booths, of which:
- 13,911 are located in urban areas
- 76,801 are in rural regions
The DGP assured voters, particularly in sensitive areas, that adequate measures are in place to guarantee their safety.
“We are committed to ensuring full safety and security for all voters. There will be no compromise,” said Kumar.
The extensive deployment and enhanced logistics reflect Bihar’s efforts to conduct a secure and transparent electoral process amid changing ground realities.
PTI