New Delhi, April 20 -- The Election Commission of India (ECI) has implemented an expanded surveillance framework exclusively for the West Bengal assembly elections. This includes introducing body cameras for micro-observers and central force personnel, GPS tracking for Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) vehicles, and taking over all government-installed CCTV cameras in assembly constituencies, according to ECI officials. These measures are specific to West Bengal, and will not be implemented in Tamil Nadu, which goes to polls for the first phase on April 23. The overhaul is directly shaped by documented surveillance failures in previous elections. According to senior ECI officials, when the Commission reviewed footage from cameras deployed during the 2021 West Bengal assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, it found that approximately 30% of the cameras had no recording at all. The agency that supplied web cameras for both elections has since had its contract cancelled and three new vendors have been selected. "The Commission has made it clear that there should be no lapse in the conduct of polling. If violence or disturbance takes place at a booth, the poll will be stopped and re-conducted. Repolling will be held as many times as required," the senior ECI official said. The Commission has decided to equip micro-observers, members of central forces, and state police personnel with body cameras so that minute-by-minute details on the ground are recorded. If any complaint or dispute arises, the footage will be examined. "The move extends accountability beyond fixed camera positions to the personnel moving within and around booths," the same official said. The commission has also taken control of all CCTV cameras installed by government departments in the concerned assembly constituencies. This includes cameras in government buildings, offices, hospitals, colleges and those installed on roads by traffic police. Instructions have been issued for immediate action if suspicious activity is detected on any of these feeds, confirmed by ECI officials. For booth coverage, AI-enabled CCTV cameras will be installed across all polling booths in the state. BJP spokesperson Debjit Sarkar welcomed the measures, saying, "The ECI should take every possible step to control violence and ensure accountability of officials without any bias. West Bengal has seen over 50 years of politically motivated violence in the name of democracy - that cycle must be broken." HT reached out to Trinamool Congress for reaction but the party was not immediately available for a comment. The ECI has also decided to set up dedicated verification counters, terming 'Lakshman Rekha', outside polling stations in West Bengal to check the identity of voters before they enter the booth - a measure that adds a new layer to the standard polling-day procedure. A Booth Level Officer (BLO) and a government official will conduct the initial document checks outside, followed by a second round of verification inside the booth, taking total checkpoints to two....