Rahul Gandhi of the Congress on Saturday accused the Election Commission of India of “deleting evidence” when it was required to “provide answers” after the poll panel instructed its officers to destroy CCTV camera, webcasting and video footage of the elections after 45 days.
"Voter list? Will not give machine-readable format. CCTV footage? Hidden by changing the law. Election photos and videos? Now they will be deleted in 45 days, not 1 year. The one who was supposed to provide answers - is the one deleting the evidence," Rahul Gandhi alleged in a post on social media platform X.
"It is clear that the match is fixed. And a fixed election is poison for democracy," the senior Congress MP, who is also the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, posted in Hindi.
Election panel reacts
Reacting to Rahul Gandhi's demand for the release of CCTV footage of polling booths in the Maharashtra assembly election, the EC said the remark was “politically motivated”.
ECI sources told Hindustan Times that the call for the public release of such footage may be politically motivated, aimed at harassing or profiling voters, especially in booths where a party performs poorly.
{{/usCountry}}ECI sources told Hindustan Times that the call for the public release of such footage may be politically motivated, aimed at harassing or profiling voters, especially in booths where a party performs poorly.
{{/usCountry}}Rahul Gandhi has been demanding voter lists, election data and video footage from the poll panel, alleging irregularities in the Maharashtra assembly election.
Rahul Gandhi's reaction comes after the Election Commission instructed its state poll officers to destroy CCTV camera, webcasting and video footage of the election process after 45 days if the verdict is not challenged in courts within that period, saying it feared the use of its electronic data to create “malicious narratives”.
Election Commission's letter to state chief electoral officers
In a letter to state chief electoral officers on May 30, the poll body said it has issued instructions for recording various stages of the election process through multiple recording devices – photography, videography, CCTV camera, and webcasting during the election process.
While electoral laws do not mandate such recordings, the commission uses them as an internal management tool during various stages of the electoral process.
"However, the recent misuse of this content by non-contestants for spreading misinformation and malicious narratives on social media by selective and out-of-context use of such content, which will not lead to any legal outcome, has prompted a review," it said.
It has now told its state poll chiefs that the CCTV data, webcasting data and photography of election processes at various stages will be preserved for 45 days.
"If no election petition is filed in respect of a particular constituency, then the said data may be destroyed," it instructed.
Any person can file an "election petition" challenging the poll verdict in the concerned high court within 45 days.
(With inputs from PTI)