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Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami on Saturday stated clearly that the 'real boss' inside the polling stations would be the paramilitary forces and not police.

The CEC in the process apparently rejected chief secretary Navin Chandra Bajpai's recent formula of police working in tandem with paramilitary forces in the assembly elections. He maintained that the paramilitary forces would be in total control of things at the polling centres. The police would take care of affairs outside the centres he stated.

"This is not being done for the first time and certainly it's not last time. The paramilitary forces will remain at the helm of affairs. They will maintain a tight vigil and provide the much needed security for free and fair polls," said the CEC. He was here to review the election related preparations in Chitrakoot, Jhansi and Kanpur divisions.

Later he told newsmen that the commission was not introducing new measures in Uttar Pradesh. Elections in UP will be held on the lines they were conducted in West Bengal and Bihar, he said.

On being asked about the extra sensitive polling centres, he said the paramilitary forces would take care of them. "This is a non-issue this time not only in Kanpur division but in the entire state," said Gopalaswami.

He appeared satisfied with the ongoing work of the voters' identity card in Kanpur. Some of divisions were lagging behind but 90 per cent of the work was expected to be completed by March 31, he said.

He further said the commission would not permit voters to use other identity cards to cast their votes. "When we are issuing ID-cards to 90 per cent voters then such a permission is out of question," he stated.

During a meeting with the district magistrates and police heads, the CEC said they had been directed to take stringent action against criminal elements. The officials have been asked to identify the trouble-shooters in advance and take appropriate measures to curb them, he said.