The Election Commission of India on Sunday announced the schedule for Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry and warned political parties and campaigners against the misuse of artificial intelligence and deepfake content during campaigning. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, speaking at a press conference in New Delhi, said the poll body will closely monitor misinformation and AI-generated deepfakes that could mislead voters.
Kumar said nodal officers in each state would track such cases and take swift action, including ordering content takedowns and registering FIRs where necessary. “Elections in four states and one Union Territory shall be violence- and inducement-free. The Commission will take strict action if anything contrary is noticed,” he added.
According to the schedule, Assembly elections in Assam and Kerala will be held in a single phase on April 9, with polling in Puducherry also set for the same day. Tamil Nadu’s 234 constituencies will vote in a single phase on April 23. West Bengal’s 294-member Assembly will go to the polls in two phases: 152 seats on April 23 and the remaining 142 on April 29.
The Commission said nearly 17.4 crore voters across the four states and the Union Territory are eligible to vote. About 2.18 lakh polling stations will be set up and nearly 25 lakh personnel deployed for election duties. Polling percentage updates will be released by election officials every two hours during polling, Kumar said.
On West Bengal, Kumar explained that the decision to limit polling to two phases-down from eight phases in 2021-followed extensive consultations, including with political parties. The tenure of the Assam Assembly ends on May 20; Kerala on May 23; Tamil Nadu on May 10; and West Bengal on May 7. The assemblies have the following seats: Puducherry 33, Assam 126, Kerala 140, Tamil Nadu 234 and West Bengal 294.
Original Source: https://nenow.in/national/election-commission-warns-against-ai-deepfakes-in-election-campaign.html
Category: Assam,National,Northeast News,Top News
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Publish Date: 2026-03-15 22:50:00
