Khadia bypoll today:Live webcast for EC, 700 cops deployed

For the first time in the state, the election commission (EC) in Delhi will be able to watch the polling process in the by-election, live on their computers, and this will happen at Amdavad’s Khadia today as a part of a pilot project to connect the polling booths via internet based web cameras.

Web cameras installed on 36 buildings covering all the 79 booths of Khadia will feed images directly to computers of the Chief electoral officer Anita Karwal, Collector of Ahmedabad district Shri Hareet Shukla, the Election Commission in Delhi and other authorities. The images will be stored in selected official computers which will be connected to the internet.

Meanwhile the Amdavad city police are all set to fortify the Khadia constituency for the by-election. The constituency falls under the limit of four police stations. Three companies of Border Security Force (BSF), a company of Rapid Action Force (RAF) and local police officials will be on duty for the elections.

The police have made arrangements to secure 37 highly-sensitive booths in 17 hyper-sensitive buildings of the area.Three companies of BSF were deployed in Khadia early in the morning on Friday, while the RAF will be deployed on the day of election.

The police will not be seeking help of home guards of the Lok Rakshak Dal (LRD) constables for this election. The police survey said that, the constituency has 36 buildings of which 17 have been marked as hyper-sensitive, 11 as sensitive and 8 as normal. The highly-sensitive buildings have 37 booths, while the sensitive buildings have 29 booths out of a total of 79 booths across the constituency.

Talking to reporters, commissioner of police, Ahmedabad city, Amitabh Pathak said that the five personnel (half section) from BSF will be deployed at the sensitive booths, while 10 personnel (one section) will be deployed at the highly-sensitive booths.

Pathak said that the police have been asked to remain alert on election day on February 14 and on the day of counting on February 17. He also said that the Khadia constituency covers Khadia, Gaikwad Haveli, Karanj and Kagdapith police station areas and for that three DCPs have been given charge.