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The AP Assembly has switched to AI-powered facial recognition to record attendance
Andhra Pradesh has experimented with AI-based attendance before. (PTI File)
As legislators walked into the Andhra Pradesh Assembly this time, the old attendance register was missing. The thick book that carried the signatures of MLAs for decades was no longer on the table. Instead, cameras and scanners took attendance.
The AP Assembly has switched to AI-powered facial recognition to record attendance.
Andhra Pradesh has experimented with AI-based attendance before. The government had earlier introduced facial recognition systems in schools, requiring teachers to mark attendance through mobile phones using AI software. What was first tested in classrooms has now entered the Assembly floor. Speaker Chintakayala Ayyanna Patrudu directed officials to record the presence of MLAs digitally, making physical signatures redundant.
Why the change?
The Budget Session began on Wednesday. Technology may have arrived in the House, but in Andhra Pradesh, even attendance is political.
The move comes amid repeated allegations from the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) that MLAs of the opposition YSR Congress Party have been signing the attendance register without participating in proceedings. TDP leaders have accused YSRCP members of marking their presence and leaving the House while continuing to draw allowances.
YSRCP leaders have denied the charge, accusing the ruling party of turning attendance into a political weapon.
With several YSRCP MLAs staying away from recent sittings, questions have also been raised over whether the party is trying to avoid the risk of disqualification under Assembly rules.
A bulletin informing members that attendance will now be marked through facial recognition scanners installed within the premises was circulated, marking the introduction of the new system in the AP Assembly. Officials in the legislative affairs department point out that under the rules, a member who remains absent for 60 consecutive days can face disqualification.
Merely attending the Governor’s address does not qualify as participation in Assembly sittings, as it is not treated as a regular sitting of the House.
It is against this backdrop that the Speaker invoked his discretionary powers to digitise attendance. Legislative sources say the aim is clear — to prevent members from signing in and walking out without taking part in debates.
The numbers tell the story.
Since the 2024 elections, only 11 YSRCP MLAs have attended the House, and that too only for the Governor’s address. They stayed away from subsequent sittings. The Speaker has repeatedly expressed displeasure over legislators remaining absent while continuing to draw salaries and retain membership.
The protests
Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Botcha Satyanarayana has said that former Chief Minister and YSRCP president Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy will attend on the first day, which began with massive protests before entering the House. Jagan Reddy, along with his MLAs, carried posters reading “Grant us Opposition status”, “Law and order has collapsed in the State” and “We are not even allowed to question the government.” As they continued to disrupt Governor S. Abdul Nazeer’s address while he read his speech in the joint session, they raised slogans against the ruling TDP-NDA alliance. Marshals later shifted all the YSRCP leaders out of the House.
Whether the YSRCP will participate beyond the first day of the budget session still remains unclear.
February 11, 2026, 15:22 IST
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