**Bhubaneswar:** The State Election Commission (SEC) on Friday declared total 27,422 polling booths as hypersensitive and sensitive in the upcoming three-tier Panchayat polls in Odisha going to start in five phases from February 13.
Briefing media, SEC secretary Rabindra Nath Sahu informed, “Information on the hypersensitive and sensitive booths has been received by us from the District Collectors of the 30 districts. As per the information, total 27,422 booths have been identified as hypersensitive and sensitive booths. Out of the total, 8,491 booths are hypersensitive while 18,931 are sensitive booths.”
“For the hypersensitive booths scale of security will be heightened. Minimum an ASI or an officer above the rank will be in charge of the hypersensitive booth. Even for the sensitive booths, the scale of security will also be heightened,” Sahu added.
“Where the number of polling stations is more in a campus, classification has been done accordingly as sensitive and hypersensitive. It has been made by both the concerned Collector and SP basing on the police inputs and also going by its antecedents. The classification may change in future as warranted then. Security arrangement will be made in accordance with the classification made now,” he further informed.
“For the CCTV and videography during the elections, requisite funds have already been allocated to all the District Collectors. They have also been instructed as per the need, they can install CCTV or make videography provisions at the hypersensitive and sensitive booths,” he concluded.
As per the SEC list released, the polls will be conducted in total 92,032 wards across Odisha on February 13, 15, 17, 19 & 21 in phases.
