Hyderabad: Nearly 90,000 security personnel have been deployed to ensure peaceful and smooth conduct of first phase of general elections for 17 parliamentary constituencies and 119 Assembly seats in Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday.
Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police B Prasada Rao today said the police department is fully geared up for conducting the elections and has taken all measures for maintenance of law and order during the elections in 10 districts of Telangana, which also comprises two Police Commissionerates in Hyderabad and Cyberabad.
Overall 90,000 police personnel has been deployed, including around 54,000 personnel of Civil Police and District Armed Reserve, besides around 15,500 Home Guards.
More than 3,500 recruit PCs and around 1,700 personnel from other wings of police have been drawn. In all, 158 paramilitary companies and 59 APSP companies are also deployed.
Four IAF helicopters have been stationed for contingency in the districts, the DGP said.
The AP Police chief had earlier said that the main endeavour of the police is to arrest the infiltration of Maoist dalams (squads) from across the bordering states of Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Maharashtra into the state.
"We are aware of this (Left Wing Extremism) threat. The main concentration is on bordering areas. We had a video conference with the SPs and senior police officers of the bordering districts to make them aware of the threat and for taking necessary precautionary measures," Rao had said.
Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal and Khammam are affected by Maoists problem in Telangana region of the state. Acknowledging the Maoists' threat, the DGP had said a continuous vigil, especially through special parties and specialised anti-Maoist force Greyhounds was being kept for the peaceful conduct of simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls to thwart any Naxal bid to infiltrate and disrupt the electoral process.
As per the guidelines of the Election Commission of India, a close watch has been kept on the movement of cash, liquor, gifts, contraband and other articles meant as inducement for voters, Prasada Rao said adding strict vigil is being maintained over all the inter-state and inter-district borders.
As part of the enforcement work, AP Police has seized Rs 122.94 crore and out of this Rs 43.90 crore has been returned to owners after verification of documents.
In the single biggest incident of seizure of cash, Rs 8.3 crore was seized by Cyberabad Police on April 24 and Shamshabad Police were further investigating into the matter.
Police also seized 89.3 kg of gold besides 821 kg of silver and over 32,000 bottles of liquor, the DGP added.
In the Telangana region of so far undivided Andhra Pradesh, Congress, Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) and Telugu Desam-Bharatiya Janata Party combine are the main contenders for power in what will be the 29th state of Indian Union.
The new state will come into being on June 2, its 'appointed' date.
The general elections will be a close contest between the TRS and the Congress while the TDP-BJP combine is also expected to make certain gains.
More than anyone else, the elections are highly critical for the TRS as it will be a "now-or-never" chance for it to realise its ultimate target of achieving power in the new state.
Prominent among those seeking election to Lok Sabha are Union Minister S Jaipal Reddy, TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, Lok Satta Party president N Jayaprakash Narayan and Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi.
The TRS head, whose ultimate dream is becoming the first Chief Minister of Telangana state, is also contesting the Assembly election from Gajwel.
In the Union Territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, BJP is making all out efforts to retain the two seats.
According to the Election Commission, the national aggregate of turnout for the six phases held so far is 66 per cent as against 57.53 per cent for the same constituencies in 2009 Lok Sabha elections.
So far, a total of 35 crore voters have cast their votes in the 349 constituencies which have gone to polls.
