Bypolls: 600 booths to have web cams

CHENNAI : Chief Electoral Officer Satyabrata Sahoo on Tuesday said 50 per cent of polling booths in four Assembly constituencies – Aravankuruchi, Ottapidaram, Thiruparankundram and Sulur – where bypolls are slated for May 19, will be covered through web cameras.  

Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat, Sahoo said of the 1,128 polling booths that have been set up in the four Assembly constituencies, roughly about 600 will be monitored through web cameras. “A total of 13 companies of paramilitary forces are to be deployed for security,” added the official.  

When asked on why all the booths could not be monitored through web cameras, Sahoo attributed the decision to infrastructural constraints in providing internet connection in villages. “All vulnerable and sensitive booths will be covered through web cameras. There were no provisions in many villages to provide powerful internet connections that support the web steaming,” said Sahoo.