EC to use AI tools to detect fake, deceased voters during SIR in West Bengal
Kolkata (PTI): The Election Commission is set to introduce artificial intelligence-based verification systems during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in West Bengal to prevent the inclusion of fake or deceased voters, a senior official said on Tuesday.
By analysing facial similarities across photographs in the voter database, the AI system will help identify individuals registered at multiple locations.
"We are taking the help of AI because of a rise in the number of complaints regarding the misuse of voters' photographs, especially those of migrant workers," the official told PTI.
"AI-enabled facial matching technology will be used to detect instances where the same voter's photograph appears in multiple locations across the rolls," he said.
The measure has become particularly important following a rise in complaints that photographs of migrant workers were being misused during voter registration, he said.
The official, however, said the booth-level officers (BLOs) will continue to play the central role in the verification process.
"AI will assist the verification. But despite the use of technology, the role of BLOs will remain crucial. They will be required to conduct door-to-door visits and take voters' photographs directly," he said.
Even when booth-level agents (BLAs) submit completed forms, BLOs are required to visit the household in person for signature verification.
"BLAs will also obtain handwritten statements from voters confirming that the forms were filled in their presence," the official stated.
He also stressed the strict accountability norms.
"If any fake or deceased voter is detected after enumeration and filling of the form are completed, the responsibility will lie with the BLO of the polling station concerned," he added.
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Trump’s fresh threat to bomb Iran amid reports of deal to end war
Washington (PTI): US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened Iran with more bombing if it doesn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz, amid a report that the warring sides were nearing an agreement to end the war.
US media outlet Axios reported, quoting US officials and two other sources, that the US and Iran were getting close to a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war and set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations.
The US expects Iranian responses on several key points over the next 48 hours, Axios reported, adding that nothing has been agreed yet. This was the closest the parties had been to an agreement since the war began.
"Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
"If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before," Trump said.
According to Axios, the deal would involve Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment, the US agreeing to lift its sanctions and release billions in frozen Iranian funds, and both sides lifting restrictions around transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
It said many of the terms laid out in the memo would be contingent on a final agreement being reached, leaving the possibility of renewed war or an extended limbo in which the hot war has stopped, but nothing is truly resolved.
