Body cameras to GPS tracking: ECI tightens vigil for Bengal polls

The measures are exclusive to West Bengal and will not be implemented in Tamil Nadu, which goes to polls for the first phase on April 23.

ECI reiterates that if violence or disturbance occurs at a polling booth, the poll will be stopped and re-conducted, with repolling held as many times as required to ensure fair proceedings.

BJP spokesperson welcomed the measures, stating they should help control violence and ensure accountability without bias. The Trinamool Congress said it was not immediately available for comment.

The state will deploy over 2,400 central forces companies totaling about 190,000 personnel, along with 474 observers (294 general observers) and 84 police observers—the highest numbers among poll-bound states in this cycle.

Face verification for voters with covered faces will occur at the external counter and will be conducted exclusively by women officials, including Anganwadi sevikas, female polling staff, and women CAPF personnel.

Dedicated verification counters will be set up outside polling stations within a 100-metre perimeter to check voter identity before entry. Booth Level Officers and government officials will conduct initial document checks at the boundary, followed by a second verification inside the booth, effectively adding a second checkpoint to the process.

ECI takes control of all CCTV cameras installed by government departments in the concerned assembly constituencies, including those in government buildings, hospitals, colleges, and traffic police installations. Instructions were issued for immediate action if suspicious activity is detected.

GPS trackers will be fitted to CAPF QRT vehicles to allow central observers to monitor, in real time, whether personnel are at their assigned locations. Vehicle cameras will have battery backups to keep recording even when engines are off.

Booths are classified as sensitive based on prior violence, booth capturing, or voter intimidation, and other factors such as high concentration of votes for a single candidate. Super-sensitive booths occur when multiple risk factors converge. In West Bengal, most sensitive or super-sensitive booths are identified in North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, and Murshidabad.

AI-enabled CCTV cameras will be installed across all polling booths. Sensitive booths will have three cameras each; non-sensitive booths will have two (one inside and one outside). In super-sensitive booths, professional videographers will be deployed in addition to the cameras, with coverage designed to provide a 360-degree view and real-time links to DEO and CEO control rooms.

ECI officials say reviews of footage from the 2021 West Bengal assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections found that about 30% of cameras produced no recording. In response, the agency that supplied web cameras had its contract cancelled, and three new vendors were selected to supply equipment for the revamped setup.

The Election Commission of India unveils an enhanced surveillance framework for the West Bengal assembly elections, including body cameras for micro-observers and central force personnel, GPS tracking for CAPF vehicles, and the takeover of all government-installed CCTV feeds in assembly constituencies. The system will feature AI-enabled booth cameras with real-time linking to district control rooms and the CEO's central control room in Kolkata.