NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of “deleting evidence” when it should be providing transparency. His remarks came after the poll body instructed its state officials to destroy CCTV, webcasting, and video footage of the election process 45 days after the results unless legally challenged in that time frame.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Gandhi criticised the EC’s move, suggesting it undermines democratic accountability.
“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,” Gandhi alleged.
He further claimed, “It is clear that the match is fixed. And a fixed election is poison for democracy.” The Congress leader posted his comments in Hindi, calling the EC’s actions deeply concerning.
Gandhi has been pressing the Election Commission for access to voter lists, polling data, and video footage particularly in light of alleged irregularities during the Maharashtra Assembly elections.
The controversy follows the ECI’s letter to state Chief Electoral Officers dated May 30, in which it stated that CCTV recordings, webcasting footage, and photography from various stages of the election process could be destroyed after 45 days, provided no election petition is filed.
The EC clarified that while electoral laws do not mandate such recordings, they are used as internal management tools to aid transparency and logistics during elections.
However, it noted growing concerns about the "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", prompting a policy review.
The EC said this destruction timeline applies only if no election petition is filed within the legally permitted 45-day period after results are announced. Under Indian electoral law, any person can challenge the result of an election in the relevant high court within this timeframe.