WB 2026 assembly elections: Election Commission plans AI to flag booth jamming, irregularities in Bengal

Baharampur (Murshidabad): The Election Commission of India (ECI) plans to introduce an artificial intelligence (AI)-based surveillance system to flag booth jamming and other irregularities inside and outside the polling booths during this month's assembly elections in West Bengal, a top official said.

"We are trying to introduce an AI system, which will flag irregularities like unwanted assembly, voting complaints, booth jamming, more than one person entering the polling booth at a time or going to EVM, and any assembly outside the booths," ECI's special rolls observer Subrata Gupta told ET.

This will help police observers, quick-reaction team (QRT) general observers and returning officers to take immediate action in case of violence or any irregularities on the poll day, he said.


This is a first-time initiative to stop voter intimidation and ensure violence-free polls by ECI.

In the first phase of the state elections, 152 assembly constituencies with 50,000 polling booths will go to polls on April 23. The remaining 142 constituencies will vote on April 29.