NEW DELHI, June 21: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of “deleting evidence” instead of providing transparency, after the poll body directed state officials to destroy CCTV, webcasting, and video footage of elections after 45 days if the result is not legally challenged.
“The one who was supposed to provide answers — is the one deleting the evidence,” Gandhi posted on social media platform X. “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.”
“It is clear that the match is fixed. And a fixed election is poison for democracy,” said Gandhi, who was recently appointed Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha.
His statement comes amid the Congress’s continued demands for access to poll data, voter lists, and video surveillance footage, particularly relating to the Maharashtra assembly elections, where the party has alleged electoral irregularities.
Gandhi’s criticism follows the Election Commission’s May 30 letter to all state Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), instructing them to destroy recordings of the polling process — including photography, videography, and CCTV/webcasting footage — after 45 days, unless a legal challenge (election petition) is filed.
The EC clarified that these recordings are not legally mandated, but are used as internal management tools during elections. Officials cited concerns over the misuse of visual content by non-contestants to spread “misinformation and malicious narratives” on social media as the reason for shortening the retention period from one year to 45 days.
“If no election petition is filed in respect of a particular constituency, then the said data may be destroyed,” the directive stated, aligning with the statutory limit for filing election petitions under the Representation of the People Act.
However, opposition leaders argue that such footage is crucial for public scrutiny. Gandhi’s latest remarks reflect growing concerns over transparency and accountability in the electoral process.
The EC has so far maintained that preserving secrecy of the vote and preventing voter intimidation remains its top priority, while reiterating that footage will be preserved and made available if required by the courts.
