Kerala deploys AI surveillance for polls; real-time alerts track queues, crowd at booths

Kerala implements AI surveillance for real-time monitoring of polling stations during the April 9 elections, enhancing voter experience.

As the 2026 Assembly elections are underway in Kerala on Thursday (April 9, 2026), election officials are trying out a new artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted video management system that issues automatic alerts in case of long queues or crowding at the polling stations.

At the Statewide control room at his office in Thiruvananthapuram, Chief Electoral Officer (Kerala) Rathan U. Kelkar has before him a number of screens where he can monitor polling stations in real-time and take action in the event of any issues.

Also read: Kerala election 2026 LIVE updates

Election officials are trying out a new artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted video management system that issues automatic alerts in case of long queues or crowding at the polling stations. | Photo Credit: Tiki Rajwi

The AI-assisted system, indigenously developed for Mr. Kelkar’s office by service provider I-Net Secure Labs, is being used for the first time.

Live webcasting has been arranged in all polling stations for the April 9 polls. Each station has two cameras each, placed inside the station and outside it. “60,990 cameras are streaming footage. It is impossible for the human eye to monitor each and every one of these cameras. That’s where AI comes in,” an official at the control room explained. “Whether action is to be taken or not is decided here,” the official said.