Madhya Pradesh: Security personnel hold flag march ahead of Lok Sabha Polls in Sidhi

Sidhi (Madhya Pradesh) [India], April 17 : Security personnle held a flag march on Wednesday morning in Sidhi, which is set to undergo polling in the first phase of Lok Sabha election 2024 scheduled to be held on April 19.
The flag march covered a distance of around a kilometre starting from Samrat crossing in the district.

Superintendent of Police (SP, Sidhi) Ravindra Verma told ANI, "All preparations have almost been completed and we have received the forces that are going to be deployed in polling booths and other duties. There are approximately 2,500 police personnel who will be deployed in polling booths and other duties. Rest all the checkpoints are also active. Seizure action is being taken continuously and almost all the preparations have been completed."
Speaking about the arrangements for sensitive polling booths, the official said that the polling centres were divided into two categories, general polling centres and critical polling centres and CAPF (Central Armed Police Force) would be deployed at all the critical polling centres. Along with this, arrangements for micro observers and webcasting were also being made at all the critical polling centres.
"Besides, 19 shadow areas (places with no mobile phone network or other public communication connectivity) have been identified in the district where we will install static wireless sets and repeaters will be arranged on the polling booths in the areas. There is a good network of forest departments in Sidhi district, so we will use them as well. Two homeguards and runners will be deployed in the polling booths in Shadow areas," he added.
SP Verma said that around 3000 police personnel would be deployed here for the polls with their different responsibilities.
"CAPFs along with police station incharges and SDOPs (Sub Divisional Officer of Police) are continuously taking out flag marches. We have completed flag march action in all the vulnerable areas and critical polling stations in all the police station areas and in the remaining areas too. Even today, a Flag March is being organised in the city, which will be taken out from all the sensitive areas of the city, in which I will be present," the officer said.
Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh will be conducted in four phases. The first phase of polling would be held on April 19, followed by April 26, May 7 and May 13.
Madhya Pradesh has a total of 29 Lok Sabha constituencies, making it the sixth-largest state in terms of parliamentary representation. Out of these, 10 seats are reserved for SC and ST candidates, while the remaining 19 are unreserved.