Overview
- Hyderabad ran what officials billed as India’s first election-time drone grid in the Jubilee Hills byelection with 139 units aloft.
- Reports differ on coverage, with Deccan Chronicle saying one drone per station and The Hindu citing 139 drones deployed across 407 polling sites.
- Each aircraft streamed video to a central command room for the Election Commission, police and civic officials to track crowds, queues, disturbances and potential code violations.
- Licensed pilots from groups including Chennai Drone Academy flew under DGCA rules with altitude restrictions near Begumpet, rotating batteries to sustain operations.
- Officials reported one drone destroyed and two pilots assaulted in Rahmathnagar, alleged attempts to force deletion of footage of cash distribution, and roughly 300 violations flagged by the feeds.