No CCTV, No Accountability, No Problem: EC Scripts Democracy’s Slow Erosion

EC's recent actions point to a patten where the poll body appears to be focused on shielding itself from scrutiny.

In the past few weeks, a series of actions by the Election Commission of India point to a patten where, instead of conducting free and fair elections, the poll body appears to be more focused on shielding itself and the electoral process from scrutiny.

(Photo: Aroop Mishra/The Quint)

(Photo: Aroop Mishra/The Quint)

(Photo: Aroop Mishra/The Quint)

(Photo: Aroop Mishra/The Quint)

(Photo: Aroop Mishra/The Quint)

(Photo: Aroop Mishra/The Quint)

(Photo: Aroop Mishra/The Quint)

Each of these developments—from refusing to release polling booth CCTV footage and giving "vague" RTI replies to demanding Rahul Gandhi to apologise rather than investigate his "vote chori" claims—all signal a troubling lack of accountability. Meanwhile, an investigation by The Quint into Bihar’s draft electoral roll revealed that deleted voters in 24 constituencies exceed the 2024 victory margins—a fact that could have decisively altered outcomes.

(Photo: Aroop Mishra/The Quint)

In the past few weeks, a series of actions by the Election Commission of India point to a patten where, instead of conducting free and fair elections, the poll body appears to be more focused on shielding itself and the electoral process from scrutiny.

Each of these developments—from refusing to release polling booth CCTV footage and giving "vague" RTI replies to demanding Rahul Gandhi to apologise rather than investigate his "vote chori" claims—all signal a troubling lack of accountability. Meanwhile, an investigation by The Quint's Himanshi Dahiya into Bihar’s draft electoral roll revealed that deleted voters in 24 constituencies exceed the 2024 victory margins—a fact that could have decisively altered outcomes.