In a first, Delhi to have AI equipped polling stations

New Delhi: In a first, the February 8 Delhi Assembly polls will have 11 Artificial Intelligence (AI) equipped polling constituencies, one from each district in the national capital, the Delhi Election Commission said on Tuesday, adding that QR code enabled digital photo voter slips will save a lot of time which goes in finding out voters’ names in the electoral rolls.

Speaking to the media, Ranbir Singh, Delhi’s Chief Electoral Officer, said, “Voters will be provided with digital photo voter slips for the first time. The slips will have QR code. Earlier, a lot of time was wasted in finding out voters’ names in the electoral rolls. The new technology will help save that time. The names of the 11 constituencies where this facility will be available are yet to be finalised.”

Singh further said: “Digital photo voter slips can be downloaded from the Voter Helpline mobile app. It is an experimental feature available to those who link their mobile numbers with the app.

“If the experiment is successful, we will establish more such booths the next time. The digital photo voter slip can be downloaded from the Digital Vault in the menu and will work only in electronic form in those polling stations where the booth app is used.”

The technology was recently used in the five-phase Jharkhand Assembly elections held in November-December last year, Singh informed.

“There will be a QR code on the digital photo voter slip which will be scanned at the polling booth having the facility. However, voters will have to carry one identity card with them. For the first time, voters can carry mobile phones inside the polling booth but only up to the polling official using the booth app and use it instead of printed copy. After that, they will have to submit their mobiles in the lockers provided on those polling booths,” said Singh.

The 70-member Delhi Assembly will go to the polls in a single phase on February 8, while the counting of votes will take place on February 11.

IANS