Sharing poll station clip breaches voter privacy: EC

THE REMARKS COME IN THE BACKDROP OF A DEMAND BY THE CONGRESS AND OTHER OPPOSITION PARTIES TO RELEASE POST 5 PM CCTV FOOTAGE FROM POLLING BOOTHS IN THE 2024 MAHARASHTRA ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS

- Press Trust of India

NEW DELHI: Amid demands to make public webcasting footage of polling stations, Election Commission officials on Saturday said such a move is violative of privacy and security concerns of voters.

Fearing the use of its electronic data to create "malicious narratives", the Election Commission has instructed its state poll officers to destroy CCTV cameras, webcasting and video footage of the election process after 45 days, if the verdict is not challenged in courts within that period. The remarks come in the backdrop of a demand by the Congress and other opposition parties to release post 5 pm CCTV footage from polling booths in the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections.

The EC officials said while such demand suits their narrative in making it sound quite genuine and in the interest of voters and safeguarding the democratic process, it is, in fact, aimed at achieving exactly the "opposite objective".