CHENNAI: The Chennai City Police have rolled out an extensive security grid across the city, deploying over 23,000 personnel and 31 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) to ensure a peaceful and incident-free vote.
Police Commissioner Abin Dinesh Modak said they identified 199 vulnerable locations and 918 vulnerable polling stations, along with four critical locations and seven critical polling stations. Additional CAPF units from Telangana and Karnataka were also brought in.
Officials said they conducted vulnerability mapping based on past incidents, voting patterns and intelligence inputs. Polling stations recording over 90% turnout or more than 75% votes for a single candidate in previous elections were flagged as sensitive. Booths with low turnout or a history of violence were also identified.
At vulnerable polling stations, four armed CAPF personnel were deployed, while additional police and support staff, including Home Guards and ex-servicemen, were stationed at larger premises.
Security arrangements included CCTV surveillance and body-worn cameras for personnel. A total of 491 mobile patrol teams were tasked with transporting EVMs to polling stations and securing them in strong rooms after polling.
The police said the measures aimed to prevent intimidation, bribery and other electoral violations while ensuring smooth polling conduct.