Patna:
Bihar's borders with Nepal and West Bengal have been sealed and put on a high alert as the stage is set for the first phase of Assembly elections tomorrow in which 47 of 243 constituencies go to polls.
Superintendent of Police of Madhubani district Ajitabh Kumar said "Modhwapur, Khutauni, Fulparas and Laukaha areas in the district have been sealed off and SSB and other security agencies are on the lookout for on any possible movement of trouble-makers."
Similarly, a special unit is also keeping an eye on troublemakers in Supaul, Purnia, Kishengunj and Araria districts since this morning with specially-trained dogs mobilised for the purpose.
"Elaborate security arrangements have been made to ensure that the elections are free, fair and peaceful," said Director-General of Police Neelmani.
"We have adequate number of CPMFs and armed policemen from other states at our disposal to maintain security," Neelmani added.
Additional Chief Electoral Officer Kumar Anshumali told PTI, "Efforts have been made to man most of the polling centres with CPMF personnel. Also police patrolling between one polling station and another would be intensified."
For the first time, he said, the Election Commission has introduced live webcast of the voting process from 20 per cent of the booths directly to be monitored by the district election officers, the office of Chief Electoral Officer Sudhir Kumar Rakesh and the Election Commission in New Delhi.
The entire process of voting would be video graphed, Anshumali said.
"Over 45,000 personnel of the Central paramilitary forces have been made available by the Centre for free, fair and peaceful polls," a senior official in the home department said.
The state government had demanded 600 companies of central paramilitary forces, but the Central government agreed to provide 450 companies for the six-phase polls, an official said. Each company comprises 100 personnel and the deployment would be made directly under the supervision of the Election Commission.
Election officials said polling would be held from 7 am to 5 pm in all constituencies barring the Maoist-hit ones where elections would end at 3 pm.
Neelmani said, as preventive measures in the run-up to the election since September 8, the police seized 577 arms, 11,156 rounds of ammunition, besides huge quantity of explosive, including 11 cane bombs, 27 quintals of ammonium nitrat, 200 kg gel.
The police also recovered 1.70 lakh detonators and unearthed 23 illegal mini gun factories in various parts of the state, he said.
Similarly, action was taken against 3,25,135 persons under 107 of the CrPC, he said.
Neelmani said the police also executed non-bailable warrants of arrest against 54,032 accused and got deposited 8776 firearms from people at different places during the period.