Measures by Police for Free, Fair, and Peaceful Voting in Assembly Elections

Mumbai : Voting for the Maharashtra Assembly General Election 2024 will take place on November 20, followed by counting on November 23. To ensure free, fair, and peaceful voting, the police system is fully prepared, and Maharashtra Police has implemented various measures, according to the State Chief Electoral Office.

Maharashtra shares a border of over 3,000 kilometers with six states—Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Karnataka, Goa—and the Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. To strengthen interstate coordination, meetings have been held between police station in-charges and directors general of police for sharing information related to crimes and criminals. Additionally, inter-state checkpoints have been manned to curb the movement of illegal cash, liquor, arms, narcotics, materials used to bribe voters, and fake voters.

Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), SAP, and SRPF companies have been deployed in sufficient numbers for election security. Police personnel and home guards have also been stationed adequately. Strict preventive measures have been taken against criminals, anti-social elements, and those likely to disrupt law and order during elections.

Under BNSS, 96,448 preventive actions have been executed. Under the Maharashtra Prohibition Act, Section 93, 5,727 actions were taken, while PIT-NDPS recorded 1 case, MPDA Act 1981 recorded 104 preventive arrests, and 1,343 cases of externment were filed under the Maharashtra Police Act.

Special campaigns were launched to execute non-bailable warrants, arrest absconders and wanted criminals, and seize illegal firearms, liquor, cash, narcotics, and freebies. A total of 56,631 licensed firearms have been surrendered, and 28,566 non-bailable warrants executed. Authorities have seized 396 illegal firearms and 1,856 sharp weapons.

The confiscations, as of November 17, 2024, include ₹74.89 crore in cash, 42.31 lakh liters of liquor worth ₹36.07 crore, 14,224 kg of narcotics valued at ₹29.36 crore, 16,254 kg of precious metals worth ₹202.62 crore, and freebies worth ₹65.97 crore, totaling seizures of ₹408.91 crore.

Drones are being widely used for VIP security and law enforcement purposes. Maharashtra Police has emphasized that all necessary arrangements are in place to ensure the Assembly Elections are conducted freely, fairly, and peacefully.