Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has strongly reacted to the Election Commission’s (EC) latest directive allowing the destruction of election-related video and CCTV footage 45 days after polling, provided no legal challenge is filed in court. He called it a move that could “undermine electoral transparency.”
The EC, in a letter dated May 30 to all state Chief Electoral Officers, stated that CCTV footage, webcasting data, and photographs of the election process should be retained for 45 days following the declaration of results. If no election petition is filed in that period, the data may be destroyed.
The Commission defended its decision by citing the “misuse” of video clips by non-contestants on social media to spread misinformation and build malicious narratives through selective and out-of-context content. While electoral law does not mandate these recordings, the EC said they are used internally for monitoring and management.
The directive comes ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, where opposition parties have raised concerns over electoral fairness and post-poll accountability. Rahul Gandhi said, “Instead of ensuring transparency, the EC is shielding itself from scrutiny. What are they afraid of if elections are fair?”
An election petition can be filed in a high court within 45 days of the result by any aggrieved party. However, civil society groups argue that destroying visual records could make future audits or challenges impossible, even if new evidence emerges later.
