PATNA, Nov. 6 -- In the largest ever security deployment for Assembly election in Bihar, nearly 1.5 lakh troops of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), along with 2,000 personnel from reserve battalions from other states, have been deployed for ensuring free, fair and peaceful elections in 121 constituencies of 18 districts that go to polls today. "They will help build confidence among the people to come out and vote for the elections on November 6. Besides security, the CAPF will also be responsible for CCTV security as the Election Commission has mandated to video-graph all critical events," officials said on Wednesday. The international border with Nepal has also been completely sealed to prevent any external interference. Security forces have been put on high alert in the bordering districts. The police administration is also on alert mode on the borders of neighbouring states West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand regarding the assembly elections. Left-wing extremists are being monitored, especially along the border with the neighbouring state of Jharkhand. In addition to central forces, 60,000 Bihar Police personnel have been deployed for election duty. Besides, 30,000 personnel from the Bihar Special Armed Police, over 20,000 Home Guards, and approximately 19,000 trainee constables have also been deployed for election duty. Approximately 1.5 lakh chowkidars (watchmen) have also been deployed in rural areas. The state government had earlier sought 2,200 companies of the CAPF for election duty during initial consultations with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Election Commission (EC) officials, according to people familiar with the matter. However, only 1,800 companies have been provided. During the 2020 Assembly elections, 1,200 CAPF companies were deployed across the state for the three-phase polling. The maximum CAPF companies for the Bihar polls will be drawn from the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), followed by other forces like the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and Railway Protection Force (RPF). The CISF, RPF and SSB personnel will be deployed in urban areas while BSF and CRPF cops will be deployed in remote areas, sensitive districts like Samastipur, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, etc. Additional director general (headquarters) Kundan Krishnan, who is Nodal Officer for the Election Commission, told HT, "There would be CAPF security personnel on virtually every building to ensure fearless movement of voters to the polling booths. The effort is to encourage maximum voting by all sections of people and anybody having any trouble could straightaway dial 12 for prompt action." This year, no security personnel will be heli-dropped at remote polling booths, as all forces would reach their deployment locations by road - a decision made possible due to significant improvement in road infrastructure, especially in rural areas. "This is the first time we are not resorting to heli-dropping of forces. The road network is now strong enough to support safe movement even to the remotest locations," said Bihar police chief Vinay Kumar. The state police apparatus has also made strong security arrangements for VVIPs during the assembly elections. For this purpose, a VIP security pool has been created in each district. This pool includes police personnel and soldiers trained by the National Security Guard (NSG). The Bihar Police has also formed a Quick Response Team (QRT) to handle emergencies during the elections. Since the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct on October 6, the Bihar Police has so far recovered 789 weapons, 3,438 cartridges, 94 explosives, and two bombs, and unearthed 15 illicit arms manufacturing centres, said ADG (Headquarters) Kundan Krishnan. He added that out of 79,474 arms licences, 66,137 have been deposited, while 747 have been impounded. As many as 2,291 arms licences have been cancelled, and 9,880 have been exempted. At least 4,04,178 persons have been bound down under various sections of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) Act, 2023. The police have detained 1,301 people under sections of the National Security Act (NSA) and the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PITNDPS) Act. During the poll campaign, four incidents of political rivalry were reported across the state, in which one person, Dularchand Yadav, was killed in the Mokama Assembly constituency. "Bogus voting is an offence, and strict action will be taken as per the law. Furthermore, with webcasting at all booths, anyone attempting bogus voting will be easily identified," added Kundan Krishnan....