Webcasting to Cover 50% of Polling Stations in Maharashtra During Lok Sabha Elections

Pune, 29th February 2024: In this year’s Lok Sabha elections, webcasting (Streaming live audio or video content over the internet publicly) of the voting process will be implemented at 50% of the total polling stations in each district of Maharashtra. This decision aims to enhance transparency in the voting process and also proves beneficial in crowd management in case of sudden gatherings at polling stations. The decision dictates that webcasting will be conducted at over 46 thousand polling stations across Maharashtra. This measure is expected to contribute to a more secure and transparent electoral process.

Shrikant Deshpande, the Chief Electoral Officer of the Election Commission of Maharashtra, stated, “Until now, webcasting was limited to sensitive and highly sensitive polling stations. However, this year, 50% of the total polling stations will be webcast.” He explained that before voting, voter slips are distributed door-to-door, enabling the identification of dead or non-resident voters, and slips are not allotted to such houses. A separate list of such voters is prepared. The decision to webcast polling stations with a higher concentration of such voters has been made.

Moreover, webcasting will also be implemented at polling stations with more than five rooms and those with queues during the last few general Lok Sabha and assembly elections, or those experiencing queues for voting after evening. The live footage from these polling stations will be accessible to the Central Election Commission Commissioner and the Chief Electoral Officer of Maharashtra. This measure is intended to enhance transparency and oversight in the electoral process.