Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Jun 22: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a sharp attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday, accusing it of "deleting evidence" instead of offering transparency in the wake of allegations of poll irregularities. His remarks came after the EC instructed its state-level officers to destroy CCTV, webcasting, and video footage related to the election process 45 days after the declaration of results—provided no legal challenge has been filed.

Taking to social media platform X, Gandhi wrote:

“Voter list? Will not give in machine-readable format.
CCTV footage? Hidden by changing the law.
Election photos and videos? Now will be deleted in 45 days, not 1 year.
The one supposed to provide answers is deleting the evidence.”
He went on to allege, “It is clear the match is fixed. And a fixed election is poison for democracy.”

Gandhi, now Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has been actively demanding access to voter lists, polling data, and surveillance footage, especially in the context of the recent Maharashtra Assembly election, where he has raised questions about the integrity of the process.

The controversy stems from a May 30 letter issued by the EC to State Chief Electoral Officers, which stated that surveillance and photographic data from the election process—including CCTV, videography, and webcasting footage—should be preserved only for 45 days post-results unless an election petition is filed in court during that period.

While electoral law does not require these recordings to be maintained, the commission clarified that such data is typically gathered as an internal management tool for monitoring purposes. However, citing recent instances of "selective and out-of-context use" of the content on social media, the EC expressed concerns over misuse of visual data to create "malicious narratives."

“The recent misuse of this content by non-contestants for spreading misinformation and malicious narratives on social media… has prompted a review,” the EC noted in its letter.

According to the law, individuals can file an election petition in the relevant High Court within 45 days of result declaration. If no such petition is filed, the EC now permits disposal of the recorded data.

The EC’s move has sparked criticism from several quarters, with opposition leaders questioning the timing and motive behind reducing the data retention period from one year to just 45 days. Gandhi's latest remarks further escalate the tension between the opposition and the election watchdog, which is already under scrutiny over its handling of electoral transparency and accountability.