54 seats up for grabs on April 18

Sunil Gupta,Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal,

today said that the security

forces have started patrolling

at bordering areas of the six districts of North Bengal and restricted the movement there. Preparations for holding the election in the first phase on April 18 is underway in the districts — Coochbihar,Jalpaiguri,Darjeeling,North Dinanpur,South Dinajpur and Malda.

Darjeeling has international border with Nepal and the other five districts share the border with Bangladesh.So the security forces already sealed international borders of the six district where poll to be held on April 18 in the first phase. At the same time,inter-state borders of the six districts have already been sealed for the security ground,said Gupta. Forces from other stats have already been deployed in the districts and they have started taking control over the areas,added Gupta.

According to a source in the CEO office,total 548 companies of security forces,including central forces,have been deployed in the six districts. Gupta,however,said that the exact breakup of the number of companies deployed in each district will not be disclosed for security reasons.

There are 16 polling booth located in the remote areas in

the Darjeeling and Kalimpong

Assembly segment and it takes five to six hours-walk to reach there. So the polling personnel started today to reach the

booth in the remote place and they would pass today night in the block office or some other safe place with the seurity force ,said Gupta.