Armed forces to be deployed in Bengal polling stations

Kolkata, March 29 (IANS) All polling booths in West Bengal will have armed guards, either from the Central forces or from state police personnel, to ensure foolproof security, state Chief Electoral Officer Aariz Aftab said here on Friday.

"Deciding vulnerable pockets is a dynamic process. But the commission has confirmed that every polling station will have armed force personnel. Whether it will be state or Central force will be decided at the right time," Aftab told mediapersons.

He said the commission is keeping a close watch to ensure security in the border areas.

Asked about BJP state vice-president Jai Prakash Majumdar's allegation that the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee of the commission in the state had displayed its "partiality" in assessing the lyrics of the BJP theme song, Additional Chief Electoral Officer Sanjay Basu said it was working as per guidelines.

"The MCMC body is working as per the guidelines. If anybody has a problem, they can appeal based on the legal procedure. They can also go to the Election Commission of India", Basu said.

Earlier, talking about the MCMC seeking re-submission of lyrics of the song, Majumdar told media: "We feel that the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee is doing partiality".

According to Majumdaar, they have used the word 'Didi' without naming anyone. "If Rahul Gandhi is not given a show-cause notice for his 'Chowkidaar Chor' comment, why can't their party go ahead with the lyrics?"

Meanwhile, the CEO office has seized 5,49,227 litres of liquor and Rs 11.15 crore of cash since the announcement of the election.