After the review meeting, the poll panel in a statement said, “In his remarks, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said it is the ‘most important and crucial’ deliberation that takes place every five years of the election cycle.” He also told the officials that the ECI seeks to deliver “absolutely spotless elections”.The ECI had convened the meeting to bring all the stakeholders concerned on one platform for a seamless coordination and cooperation among the officials of neighbouring states and Union territories, it said.“Key issues discussed during the meeting included enhanced coordination among neighboring States and UTs, deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), logistical support for CAPF movement, identification and monitoring of potential flashpoints, preemptive measures to address communal tensions, and securing porous borders against illegal activities,” a senior ECI official said, adding that particular attention was given to curbing the movement of contraband items such as “narcotics, liquor, arms, and explosives” across international borders. Directions have also been issued to identify exit and entry points for the movement of illicit goods, including liquor and cash, along borders, he said.Since the officials from the Ministry of Defence were also present during the meeting, the commission reviewed the support from the Indian Air Force for sorties to ferry polling teams in challenging regions of 11 states, including Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.Directions were given for adequate security measures to safeguard political functionaries and poll candidates based on their threat perception, particularly in states like Chhattisgarh and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
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