Kerala Assembly polls 2026: Preparations underway to ensure flawless surveillance of sensitive booths in Kozhikode

The final list of sensitive and critical polling stations will be prepared soon as part of the preparations to ensure a flawless security arrangement based on the police’s vulnerability assessment map. Within a few days, a high-level meeting will also be convened by senior police officers to review the security plans and issue final instructions to subordinate officers.

During the previous Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, the Kozhikode rural area recorded the highest number of sensitive polling stations. More than 140 booths were then classified as sensitive booths, prompting heavy security deployment. The number of sensitive booths in Kozhikode city was 98. There were also other 22 booths identified as critical.

“There will be more or less a similar number of sensitive booths during this election as well and there will be heightened security arrangements as usual in areas where the presence of Maoist activists had been confirmed earlier on various occasions,” said a senior police officer from Vadakara. He said additional security arrangements would be made in some of the locations identified under Peruvannamuzhi, Kakkur and Koorachundu police station limits.

According to senior police officers, Kozhikode district would get the support of over 7,000 police personnel, including those from the Central Armed Police Forces. To boost public confidence and ensure safety, route marches have already been conducted in sensitive areas, they said.

For over a month, the police have been carrying out flash inspections with the support of Bomb Detection and Disposal squads in the politically sensitive areas of Kozhikode district to ensure a peaceful election. Police officers from various rural police stations confirm that night patrolling and flash vehicle inspections are continuing now to intensify the safety measures.

Discussions are also underway to provisionally increase the number of police sub-divisions in the city and rural areas for administrative convenience. According to police sources, there will be at least eight sub-divisions to ensure better local surveillance. In Kozhikode city, there are now five sub-divisions including the traffic control unit, which will be increased further on completion of the district-level review meeting, they added.

Apart from the uniformed squads, preparations are in full swing to shortlist Special Police Officers to meet the additional manpower requirements. Their service will be mainly used to help the voters and make necessary arrangements at the polling stations. Along with them, the support of various voluntary organisations will be sought to oversee green protocol measures and assist the differently-abled or elderly voters.