Muzaffarpur, Sept. 5: The Election Commission of India (ECI) is planning to monitor the polling process by hooking through live video streaming (LVS) of the polling booths.

In a bid to keep a hawk-eyed surveillance by web technology, the ECI has involved the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and the Beltron (Bihar Electronic Development Corporation) for web monitoring of the polling booths on the day of election for the forthcoming Assembly polls. The ECI has tentatively decided to cover all the polling booths especially pinpointing the booths falling under the areas of influence of the CPI (Maoist) from the web technology.

The mandarins of the Election Commission of India, state chief electoral officers and district election officers would be able to peep into the affairs at polling booths over the period of polling hours through LVS. Live video streaming will make images of the activities of polling stations visible by installing cameras equipped with laptops.

The ECI has asked BSNL, Bihar circle, to facilitate broadband internet connectivity and Beltron to supply electronic gadgets, including laptops, cameras and other electronic devices, required for hooking internet connectivity through broadband services on all the polling booths.

Talking to The Telegraph, the general manager of BSNL, Muzaffarpur zone, R.N. Paul said that the top brass of ECI, intended to monitor activities of the election process inside the polling booths through LVS while sitting at New Delhi.

Thus, the broadband connectivity of internet at the highest speed of 256 kilo bytes per second (KBPS) is required at the polling booths.

The ECI has been informed of status of availability of the broadband connectivity with the technology of landline, broadband, EVDO service, 3G and short messaging service (SMS) facilities. The BSNL is seriously exploring possibilities to cover polling booths located at remote countryside areas with Y-MAX internet facility. The district magistrate cum designate district election officer (DEO), Anand Kishore in the wake of ECI’s guidelines has sought broadband connectivity of internet on all 2,620 polling booths falling under 11 Assembly constituencies in the district.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Sunil Kumar told The Telegraph that the ECI is willing to have minute-by-minute details of polling stations as well as look at affairs of the booths during the polling hours for minimising threats of rigging, involvement of voters and booth capturing including involvement of polling personnel in unfair means.

This would also help discourage troublemakers from indulging in unfair means at polling booths.