Chandigarh: Taking a leap forward towards ensuring fair and free elections in the state, Punjab Election Commission would be for the first time web casting the polling process live in 200 polling booths across the state.

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Punjab Kusumjit Kaur Sidhu said that in these elections web casting would be done only in 200 polling booths in 11 districts, for which Technical Education Department would be making the necessary provisions with the help of the 11 Technical Institutes falling in these districts.

The CEO said that to make this programme a success around 200 engineering students of these institutes would be deployed at booths with one laptop and internet connection, by which the web casting would be done.

She said that during the coming assembly polls web casting would not be open for the general public but only the officers of the Election Commission as well as the officers of CEO’s office.

She said that in order to ensure free and fair voting on the polling day the borders of the state would be sealed so that no outsider could enter the state with the motive of disturbing law and order situation of the state.

The CEO said the Commission was keeping a strict vigil over the complaints regarding paid news being published in a few newspapers for extending benefit to some candidates.

PTI