Mumbai police and Election Commission have jointly set the stage for polling in Mumbai on April 24, 2104, as the nation witnesses its third phase of the 2014 parliamentary elections. In Mumbai totally 1528 polling sites will be functional on the day of electioneering and 9879 polling booths have been set up for polling at these sites.

 

Collectively, 291 polling stations have identified to be critical and 33 have been declared as vulnerable polling stations in Mumbai, according to city police commissioner Rakesh Maria.

 

Mumbai city district collector and Mumbai city district polling officer, Shaila A, on Tuesday early evening divulged that out of the 291 critical polling stations in Mumbai, 98 critical polling stations were identified in South Mumbai and South Central Mumbai constituency including Chembur and Anushakti Nagar areas. In Anushakti Nagar there are 35 critical polling stations identified jointly by EC nd the police, 13 in Sion-Koliwada, 9 in Byculla, 7 each in Dharavi and Chembur, 6 each in Colaba, Sewri and Mumbadevi, 5 in Mahim, 2 in Worli, 1 in Wadala, among other areas.

 

On Tuesday evening also Maria while confidently claiming that the Mumbai police were prepared to meet any eventuality arising during polling said, bandobast rehearsals and street marches were carried out in the city from Tuesday morning to instill confidence in the voters and exhorting the electorate to exercise their votes. Maria on Thursday had personally conducted meetings at the regional level and visited vulnerable and sensitive pockets in the city to oversee and plan the security arrangements in the city. 

 

“Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sadanand Date traveled extensively across the city to review and strategize the security preparedness for the polling. We have deployed 28 Deputy Commissioners of Police, 46 Assistant Commissoners of Police, 477 police inspectors, 1,195 Assistant Police Inspectors and Sub Inspectors of Police, 30,025 police constables, 5,275 home guards, 250 civil defence personnel, in addition to 8 companies of central para military forces and 19 companies of State Reserve Police Force, to ensure that the polls are violence and crime free. There will also be 108 flying squads and 108 static surveillance squads positioned in strategic locations to take grip of any kind of critical  situation on the day of polling,”  said Maria.  

 

Maria disclosed that since March 5, 2014, a special drive was carried out by Mumbai police by way of preventive action in entire Mumbai. “Totally 18, 865 preventive action cases were registered in the commissionerate. 14,816 persons were detained under various sections like, MPDA, externment action and preventive detention. Between March 5, 2014 and April 21, 2014, 4,401 non bailable warrants were issued, 517 warrants were served, 10,224 summons were issued, 151 absconders were nabbed and 310 wanted criminals were arrested. Mumbai police in accordance with the EC criteria, got fire arms licence holders to totally deposit 1,564 fire arms deposited in the police armory and also seized around 50 illegal fire arms including the carbine machine gun seized a few days back.”

 

Maria further added that 18 persons were arrested for infringing the election code of conduct during poll campaigning in the city. He also said that over Rs 5 crore of unaccounted money was seized during special drives jointly carried out by the police and EC and the EC would decide whether the money was meant for misuse during poll campaigning. “Since February 15, 2104, the Mumbai police carried out a major drive against narcotics trafficking and peddling in the city and arrested 4726 persons in 3200 cases registered under the NDPS Act. We deported 6 Nigerians and I Tanzanian arrested for drug trafficking and will be deporting two more Nigerians in the next few days.”