The Election Commission of India (ECI) has implemented a comprehensive 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 cameras in assembly constituencies.
The measures are aimed at preventing electoral violence, which has been a persistent issue in the state. According to ECI officials, the commission reviewed footage from cameras deployed during the 2021 West Bengal assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and found that approximately 30% of the cameras had no recording at all.
The ECI has decided to equip micro-observers, members of central forces, and state police personnel with body cameras to record minute-by-minute details on the ground. If any complaint or dispute arises, the footage will be examined.
The commission has also taken control of all CCTV cameras installed by government departments in the concerned assembly constituencies, including cameras in government buildings, offices, hospitals, colleges, and those installed on roads by traffic police.
AI-enabled CCTV cameras will be installed across all polling booths in the state, with sensitive booths having three cameras each and non-sensitive booths having two—one inside and one outside. In super-sensitive booths, professional videographers will be deployed.
GPS trackers will be fitted to vehicles assigned to the CAPF’s Quick Response Teams (QRT), allowing ECI-appointed central observers to monitor in real-time whether deployed personnel are at their assigned locations.
The measures are grounded in a documented record of electoral violence at a level that no other poll-bound state this cycle witnessed. After the 2021 assembly election results, the National Human Rights Commission received 1,979 complaints involving approximately 15,000 victims across 23 districts.
The ECI has also decided to set up dedicated verification counters outside polling stations in West Bengal to check the identity of voters before they enter the booth, a measure that adds a new layer to the standard polling-day procedure.
