From rxpgnews.com
Uttar Pradesh's neighbour states to seal borders for polls
By IANS,
Mar 22, 2007 - 2:25:24 PM
Lucknow, March 22 - The Election Commission has directed the seven states surrounding Uttar Pradesh to seal their borders ahead of the seven-phased assembly elections in the state.
Disclosing this, Uttar Pradesh Chief Election Officer Anuj Bishnoi said here Thursday that this followed a meeting of top officials of Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Haryana and Delhi - which share borders with the state. The meeting was held in New Delhi earlier this week.
'These states have agreed to seal their borders well in advance of the polling dates - to prevent infiltration by unwanted and anti-social elements, who are known to have created nuisance in the past,' Bishnoi told IANS.
The commission has also requested the external affairs ministry to work out a border-sealing plan with Nepalese authorities since the state shares a 400 km long border with the northern neighbour.
Meanwhile, hectic preparations are on to arrange for 700-odd companies - of central para military forces requisitioned by the Election Commission to maintain strict vigil over the polling booths during the polls.
According to Bishnoi, the central forces would start coming from April 2 and be moved to the 13 districts in western Uttar Pradesh, where election to 67 constituencies will be held on April 7, the first phase of polling.
More than 114 million people are eligible to cast their votes in the state to elect 403 members of India's largest state assembly.
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