EC announces 100 per cent webcasting in Bihar assembly elections

New Delhi: Seeking to ensure increased monitoring of the poll procedure on voting days, the Election Commission (EC) on Monday decided to carry out webcasting at all polling stations, up from the present 50 per cent.

The webcasting data will be for internal consumption of the poll authority.

Bihar assembly elections are due later this year and it will be the first state where 100 per cent webcasting will be implemented.

In a communication to all state chief electoral officers, the poll panel said webcasting will be done in areas with internet connectivity.

“However, in shadow areas, suitable alternate arrangements of videography, photography, etc. may be made,” it said.

So far, webcasting was done in 50 per cent of the polling stations and in “critical polling stations” to ensure that the polling process is not vitiated.

In December last year, the government tweaked an election rule to prevent public inspection of certain electronic documents such as CCTV camera and webcasting footage as well as video recordings of candidates to prevent their misuse.

Based on the recommendation of the EC, the Union law ministry amended Rule 93 of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, to restrict the type of papers or documents open to public inspection.

“There shall be a webcasting monitoring control room at State level, District Level and AC (assembly constituency) Level as well which shall be supervised and monitored by a Nodal Officer appointed at each level,” the letter read.

The commission underlined that while monitoring the voting day activities, it will be ensured that all polling stations are watched live “multiple times during the day for an adequate period of time to closely observe the proceedings”.

For this, adequate staff should be deployed at the control rooms, the EC said in the letter to all state electoral officers.