3,400 VVPAT machines arrive in poll-bound Nagaland

Representational image

KOHIMA:  A total of 3,400 Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines and 77 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have arrived in poll-bound Nagaland, an election official said on Sunday.

Elections to the 60-member Nagaland Assembly are slated to be held on February 27, and counting of votes will be done on March 3.

Chief Electoral Officer Abhijit Sinha said the VVPAT machines will be deployed in all 2,196 polling booths across the state. It will be the first time these printer-attached voting machines will be used in Nagaland, he said.

Of the 281 companies of CAPF to ensure the smooth conduct of the upcoming assembly elections, the top poll official said 77 companies have already arrived in the state and have been sent to all districts.

Sinha said the companies which have arrived are being utilised for area domination, Mobile Vehicle Check Post, and for providing environmental security.

He said the remaining 204 companies will be arriving in Nagaland after completion of the Tripura assembly elections slated for February 18, adding that the companies which have arrived are from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Railway Protection Force (RPF).

Sinha said that a section of the CAPF are also being utilised at static police check posts for checking for cash, arms, liquor and other illegal items.