ECI plans enhanced web surveillance of polling booths during 2026 Bengal elections
West Bengal Election Commission Plans 360‑Degree Surveillance for 2026 Assembly Polls
In anticipation of the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced plans to boost electronic monitoring at polling stations across the state. According to officials in the office of West Bengal’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), the new system will involve both inside‑and‑outside camera installations.
Inside each polling booth, a camera will be mounted to provide a 360‑degree view, allowing real‑time monitoring from central control rooms. Outside the booths, high‑resolution lenses will capture a broad view of the surrounding area, helping authorities spot any unauthorized political gatherings or suspicious activity near the polling sites.
Before voting begins, technical teams appointed by the ECI will rigorously test all cameras. If a malfunction is detected during polls, emergency crews will address the issue immediately. The same teams will also respond rapidly to any tampering attempts, such as covering lenses or disrupting the webcast feed.
In parallel, the CEO’s office has advanced a proposal that could reduce the number of voting phases for 2026. Rather than the multi‑phase format used in 2021 and 2016, the suggestion is to conduct the entire election in a single phase, or, if necessary, no more than two phases. The Commission is slated to decide on this at an upcoming meeting on January 5, where CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal and other senior officials will discuss the feasibility.
For context, the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections were spread over eight phases from March 27 to April 29, while the 2016 contest ran in six phases, with the first phase extending across two days.
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