ECI’s tough stand on election footage strikes discordant note
The Tribune Editorial: The ECI has directed its state electoral officers across the country to destroy CCTV, webcasting and video footage of the election process after 45 days of the declaration of the result.
Updated At : 07:17 AM Jun 23, 2025 IST
IT’s been seven months since Maharashtra went to the polls, but the November 2024 Assembly elections continue to be in the news — for the wrong reasons. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has toughened its stand on a demand by the Congress and other Opposition parties to release post-5 pm CCTV footage from polling booths. The ECI has directed its state electoral officers across the country to destroy CCTV, webcasting and video footage of the election process after 45 days (of the declaration of the result) if the poll verdict is not challenged in courts within that period. The poll panel has justified this decision on the grounds that its electronic data can be misused to create “malicious narratives” and spread misinformation.
