EC scraps Bengal poll webcam vendor contract over 'irregularities'

• Election Commission (EC) cancelled the contract of the agency supplying webcams for West Bengal polls due to major footage irregularities.
• Around 30% of cameras had no recording, and another 30% only partial footage from 2021 Assembly and 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
• The irregularities prevented the EC from submitting webcam footage in court for post-poll violence cases.
• Three new vendors from outside the state have been selected; cameras will be installed inside and outside polling booths, especially in sensitive areas.
• Webcams will also be deployed in Static Surveillance Teams (SST) and Flying Squad Teams (FST) vehicles with battery backup, monitored from Kolkata, New Delhi, and DM offices.