Summary:
The share of rural areas in crime during election is more than the urban areas as far as Nashik district is concerned.The rural areas reported 29 cases of crime during election as against 7 in urban areas across the district in 2014. Proper security arrangements are put in place to ensure free and fair elections in the respective areas.As per the district election office, there were 36 cases of crime during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections while the number of such cases was 65 in the year 2009. Nashik: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has sought details of the crime and its seriousness that took place during the past two Lok Sabha elections in order to take note of the same before preparing a security plan for the upcoming general elections.Based on the number and nature of crime, the election centres are categorised as sensitive and hypersensitive polling stations. Similarly, 53 cases were reported from rural areas as against 12 in urban areas during the election in 2009.Based on this information and feedback from the police department, the ECI will classify the polling stations and allot a series of measures required to be undertaken to ensure the incidents are not repeated.“There are also other election centres that may have not witnessed any kind of the issues now, but also definitely have been witness to some issue in the past and will be considered while weighing the safety of the polling stations,” a senior official from the district election office said.In all 220 new polling stations have been carved out, while 701 polling stations have either been merged or split in Nashik district after the exercise of limiting the number of electors to the 800 per election centre and even ensuring that electors’ family was ensured common polling station so that they do not miss the chance to go and cast their vote together.“Besides, based on the criteria spelt out by the ECI for the people-friendly election centre, the locations of 140 polling stations have also been changed,” he added..