Revamped Electoral Reforms Debut in Jubilee Hills By-Poll

The Election Commission is set to implement a series of cutting-edge reforms for the upcoming November 11 Jubilee Hills assembly by-poll. These measures include the installation of color photographs of candidates on electronic voting machines (EVMs), and the utilization of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based surveillance and GPS-enabled monitoring systems to curb electoral malpractices.

Telangana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) C. Sudharshan Reddy convened a meeting with representatives from ruling and opposition parties, including Congress, BJP, BRS, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and AIMIM, to discuss the detailed preparations. He highlighted the debut of these electoral reforms, designed under the guidance of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, during the upcoming Bihar Assembly Elections and eight other by-elections nationwide.

The reforms aim to reduce overcrowding by capping 1,200 voters per station and encourage higher women's participation by deploying more female polling personnel. A Special Summary Revision (SSR) was also conducted, marking a departure from traditional by-poll protocols. This election follows the passing of BRS MLA Maganti Gopinath.

(With inputs from agencies.)