5,800 students register for webcasting GHMC polls

HYDERABAD: The election wing of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has received an overwhelming response from engineering students for webcasting the election process on December 1, the polling day.

So far, the civic body has received applications for webcasting from as many as 5,800 students, against the requirement of 3,500. The corporation will pay Rs. 950 on the polling day to each student for providing webcast facility, so that the polling room and cabins where a voter registers his/her vote using the ballot paper can be monitored.

Returning Officers of polling stations will ensure that a minimum 10 percent of total polling locations are covered by webcasting. Care will though be taken to ensure maximum possible webcasting at critical polling stations. All such polling stations are to be covered with web cameras to ensure webcasting of the poll process.

GHMC officials said the objective of planning digital surveillance at all polling stations is to instil confidence among voters on exercising their franchise without any fear, constrain malpractices, such as rigging or booth capturing, and to make poll process transparent. The poll process can be seen live from start to end on poll day at DGP, commissioners, GHMC election authority, and returning officer levels, so that quick action could be taken wherever there is a disturbance.