Electoral authorities today said elaborate security arrangements have been made for the bypoll to held for the Udupi-Chickmagalur Lok Sabha constituency on March 18.
About 7,000 police personnel, including 10 companies of Central Paramilitatry Forces and 750 Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) personnel, will be deployed to ensure smooth polling across 1,630 polling stations, Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer C S Suranjan told reporters here.
Of the 1,630 polling stations, 251, including those falling under Naxal regions, had been identified as hypersensitive and 751 sensitive.
Of the 12.5 lakh total electorate, 6.4 lakh are women.
There are 14 candidates in the fray including Sunil Kumar from BJP, K Jayaprakash Hegde (Congress), S L Bhoje Gowda (JDS) and Supreeth Kumar Poojary (JDU) in the election caused by the resignation of Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda after he was elected to the legislative council.
So far 31 preventive arrests had been made, Suranjan said.
