EC to monitor all polling booths: CEO

HYDERABAD: To make the voting process transparent and check malpractices such as rigging, the Election Commission is installing cameras for live video recording in polling stations in all 17 Lok Sabha constituencies.


The surveillance is also aimed at increasing voter turnout by instilling confidence among the public to vote without fear and keep a tab on those creating nuisance at polling stations. Orders to install CCTV cameras and web casting have been issued by chief electoral officer Rajat Kumar to district election officers.

There are stringent rules as to where a camera should be placed and how secrecy of the ballot has to be maintained. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has been assigned the task of providing Internet connectivity in all polling stations. The district election officials are also at liberty to tie up with private entities as long as the total cost is less than Rs 2,500, a senior official said.

If the live recording runs into a problem, the CEO office has asked DEOs to go for offline recording by videographing the proceedings and storing it locally.