100% polling station webcasting for smooth polls: Punjab CEO

Punjab’s chief electoral officer (CEO) Sibin C said there will be webcasting at each of the 24,433 polling stations in the state with another 1,884 cameras to be installed outside the premises with three or more polling stations for live monitoring.

The Election Commission will ensure 100% polling station webcasting and deploy flying squad vehicles in Punjab for smooth conduct of the Lok Sabha elections.

During the 2022 state polls, 351 flying squad vehicles equipped with 4G SIM-based PTZ cameras and GPS were deployed, besides static surveillance teams, for 24x7 live monitoring from the command and control centre. (HT Photo)

Punjab’s chief electoral officer (CEO) Sibin C said there will be webcasting at each of the 24,433 polling stations in the state with another 1,884 cameras to be installed outside the premises with three or more polling stations for live monitoring. “There will be live streaming from flying squad vehicles (FSV) and static surveillances teams will also to monitor the violation of model code of conduct for the elections,” he said.

During the 2022 state polls, 351 flying squad vehicles equipped with 4G SIM-based PTZ cameras and GPS were deployed, besides static surveillance teams, for 24x7 live monitoring from the command and control centre.

These are just a few of the IT initiatives taken by the office of CEO Punjab for the upcoming elections. It is also introducing the revamped NextGen District Information System for Elections (DISE) for managing the polling and counting staff, including scheduling rehearsals and randomisation of polling and counting staff. The vehicle monitoring system (VMS) will be integrated with DISE to monitor the movement of vehicles deployed for transportation of EVMs, VVPATs and static surveillance teams.

The poll activity management system (PAMS) used for the deployment of polling parties, voting updates such as commencement of polling and voters in queues at closing hour, etc, has also been revamped to improve the efficiency of election-related activities. He said the app utilises GPS coordinates to track the movement of polling parties during the dispatch process, ensuring transparency and accountability. Polling for the 13 Lok Sabha seats will be held on June 1, with the counting of votes on June 4.