Bhubaneswar: As many as 35 companies of Border Security Force (BSF) each consisting of around 100 personnel, will be deployed in Odisha for the upcoming simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the State assembly, informed BSF DIG Dhirendra Kumar.
Addressing a presser here on Monday, Kumar said that these deployments will target sensitive areas, including those affected by Maoist activity, to ensure the smooth conduct of the elections.
Kumar assured reporters of the force’s commitment to maintaining the integrity of the electoral process, citing previous successful elections in 2014 and 2019, as well as the 2022 panchayat elections in Swabhiman Anchal, a formerly Maoist-affected region.
Worth mentioning, the Election Commission of India (ECI) recently announced the deployment of a total of 75 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), including the BSF, in Odisha to facilitate the elections.
Kumar also highlighted the BSF’s longstanding involvement in anti-Naxal operations in the State since 2010.
He informed that over the past 14 years, significant progress has been made, with 65 Maoists killed, 793 arrested, and 632 surrendering. Additionally, the BSF has seized 496 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the state, he added.
Maoist activities have notably diminished in Malkangiri and Koraput districts, with no major incidents reported recently.
As a result, the focus has shifted to Naxal-affected areas in Kandhamal, Boudh, and Kalahandi districts. According to Kumar, Maoist presence is now confined to only two to three districts in Odisha, and efforts are underway to make the state Naxal-free within the next two years.
