Two helicopters deployed for Manipur LS polls, says Chief Electoral Officer

Imphal: Two helicopter Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) are being pressed into services to ensure the integrity of the electoral process in the violence-hit Manipur, the Chief Electoral Officer of Manipur, Pradip Kumar Jha said.

He was speaking in a meeting held on Saturday with Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) of various districts at the Conference hall of the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Manipur. Manipur with its two Lok Sabha seats — Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constitution reserved for scheduled tribes and Inner Manipur PC will go to the polls on April 19 and 26.

Approximately 200 companies of paramilitary forces will be deployed in the sensitive areas of the state for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

There are 2,955 polling stations in the two Parliamentary Constituencies with 60 assembly segments.

Manipur is a hilly border state. Against this backdrop, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the chief electoral officer’s office would hire helicopters to ensure faster manpower mobility during the polls.