The Election Commission has indicated that due to confidentiality and legal implications, they will not share live webcasting and CCTV footage from polling centers. This statement comes amidst Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's persistent questioning of the Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024 results.
According to sources, the Election Commission expressed that sharing CCTV footage of polling stations would identify who voted and who didn't, potentially leading to pressure, bias, and a climate of fear, which contradicts democratic values.
Such a release of footage would also violate the Representation of the People Act and Supreme Court guidelines. Voting is a private right, and its confidentiality must be maintained.
The Election Commission clarified that videos recorded at polling stations are used for internal monitoring and may be submitted to the court if requested in electoral matters.
Source: aajtak
Notably, last month, the Central Election Commission instructed the State Election Commission to destroy webcasting and video footage 45 days after the election process, provided the results are not contested within this period.
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Earlier this month, Rahul Gandhi alleged discrepancies in the Maharashtra election and requested the Election Commission release CCTV footage and digital voter lists of all polling stations after 5 PM.
What Did Rahul Gandhi Demand?
On social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Rahul Gandhi remarked that the Election Commission is a constitutional body. If there's nothing to hide, then release the digital, machine-readable voter lists for Lok Sabha elections, including Maharashtra. Any evasiveness would raise doubts about your credibility.
