Poll panel to keep an electronic eye on voting

Thanks to technology, booth rigging will soon become a thing of the past. The Election Commission (EC) will use live webcasting to monitor voting at ‘hyper critical’ booths during the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections.

Thanks to technology, booth rigging will soon become a thing of the past. The Election Commission (EC) will use live webcasting to monitor voting at ‘hyper critical’ booths during the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections.

MP’s chief electoral officer Jaideep Govind said, “Technology will help us keep a tab on hyper critical polling booths, especially those adjoining the Utter Pradesh border. Cameras would also be installed at major squares so that the administration is able to monitor all activities during the election.”

About 5,000 booths have been categorised as ‘hyper critical’ and district collectors in these areas have been asked to ensure technology is upgraded there.

Cameras will be installed around these booths and webcasting technology will enable live feed recordings. These can then be seen by district collectors and EC officials in Bhopal and New Delhi. “Internet services would be taken from service providers who have network in these areas,” he said. Where internet services are not available, Govind added, surveillance teams and other security agencies will keep a watch.