Maharashtra Elections: 10,935 Police Deployed In Thane; Booths To Offer Basic Amenities

Voters in Thane district will get an assured minimum facility at booths on the polling day on Nov. 20 which includes basic amenities such as drinking water, ramps for the differently-abled, and adequate seating arrangements.

Braille facilities have also been set up at polling booths for visually Divyang voters, a poll official said on Monday.

More than 10,900 police personnel will be deployed in Thane district to prevent any untoward incident on the polling day.

The security personnel to be deployed include 4,161 home guards along with 24 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and State Armed Police Forces (SAPF), Thane district collector cum election officer Ashok Shingare told reporters.

Voting for all 288 assembly constituencies in Maharashtra will be held on Nov. 20. Votes will be counted on Saturday.

Shingare said Rs 32.50 crore worth of seizures, including cash and other items, have been made since the poll code came into force, surpassing the seizure amounts in the last Lok Sabha elections.

The CVigil platform has played a key role in monitoring violations, with a record 1,933 complaints received, the highest in Maharashtra. Impressively, 93% of these complaints were resolved within an average response time of just 48 minutes, Shingare added.

Explaining the preparedness for polling day on Nov. 20, Shingare said special attention has been given to ensuring an Assured Minimum Facility (AMF) at every polling booth.

This includes providing basic amenities to voters such as drinking water, ramps for the differently-abled, and adequate seating arrangements.

The collector said political parties should make sure that those with a criminal background are not assigned duties outside the polling booths.

He said additional security measures are put in place in Airoli, Ovla-Majiwada and Bhiwandi East constituencies.

"The seizure of illicit materials and other irregularities was significantly higher in these constituencies during the last election. To address this, additional Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel have been deployed," he said, adding that this number is expected to increase further given the heightened seizure activity this time around.

He said braille facilities have been set up at polling booths for visually Divyang voters. This move is aimed at ensuring that everyone, regardless of their disability, can participate in the democratic process.

Shingare informed that a total of 20 cases of violations of the model code of conduct have been registered, of which 18 were related to law and order issues.

Thane district comprise 18 assembly segments, including the high-profile Kopri-Pachpakhadi contested by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.