The Election Commission of India (ECI) has taken 106 people with criminal antecedents into preventive detention in West Bengal ahead of the state assembly elections.
The crackdown was carried out in three districts - Cooch Behar, South 24 Parganas, and Murshidabad - on ECI's directions.
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) has filed a PIL in the Calcutta High Court claiming that around 800 of its workers could be detained before the polls.
The ECI has also deployed 2,193 Quick Response Teams (QRTs) across all constituencies in Phase 1, with a focus on sensitive and border districts.
The Commission has introduced a new directive to ensure the safety and presence of polling agents inside booths on voting day.
