At 11 a.m. on Tuesday (November 11, 2025), the usually quiet Basti Dawakhana in Hyderabad’s Borabanda area was bustling with activity. The crowd outside was not there for a health check-up. Voters had gathered to cast their ballots in the Jubilee Hills Assembly byelection, and their attention was drawn to something unusual hovering above their heads, a drone.
Seated on a chair outside the hospital, 33-year-old Deepak controlled the drone using a mobile phone attached to a remote. Deepak, a licensed drone pilot from the Chennai Drone Academy, was part of a team of operators deployed across the constituency for the country’s first-ever drone surveillance initiative during an election.
“Around 40 to 45 people from the Chennai Drone Academy have come here to fly drones. Our academy was approached, and we were sent to Hyderabad,” said Mr. Deepak. The live video feed from his drone camera was transmitted to the District Election Office and monitored by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Mr. Deepak explained that he was authorised to fly the drone up to 50 metres height, in compliance with airspace restrictions near Begumpet Airport. “We have to follow all safety protocols and cannot exceed that limit,” he said.
