IN AN attempt to keep the polling system in the forthcoming twophase Assembly polls in West Bengal under total surveillance, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has decided to install three CCTV cameras in sensitive booths and two in non-sensitive booths. Insiders from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, said that of the three CCTV cameras to be installed at sensitive booths, two will be inside the booths and one will be outside. In non-sensitive booths, one CCTV camera will be installed within the booth and one outside the booth.

 

These cameras will be linked to the district control rooms at the offices of the district magistrates, who are also the district electoral officers of the district concerned, as well as to the central control room at the CEO’s office in Kolkata. “All these cameras will be artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled. In case there is an assembly of many unauthorised persons within the booths, the district and central control rooms would be alerted through that technology,” the CEO’s office insider said. These cameras within the booths will be placed in such a manner that it would give a 360- degree view of the poll proceedings within the booth.