The Election Commission of India (ECI) has come under fire after its press conference on alleged irregularities in the voter list and the use of CCTV footage during polling. Critics argue that the commission has failed to provide clear answers to the questions raised by the opposition and civil society.
Actor and activist Prakash Raj sharply criticized the Election Commission for installing CCTV cameras at polling booths without taking voters’ permission. Questioning the privacy concerns of women voters, he asked, “Did you take permission of the women before you placed those CCTVs? Polling booth is not a dressing room. We are not interested in your convenient excuses. We need transparency.” His statement, widely shared on social media, reflected growing concerns about voter privacy and accountability.
Political strategist and Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor also targeted the ECI, accusing it of avoiding the main issue. “The Election Commission did not answer the concerns raised by the opposition. They must clarify if wrong names were added to the voter list or if duplicate voters were included. It is their responsibility to respond to the LoP’s concern about 1 lakh wrongly added names,” he said.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, addressing a rally in Bihar, accused the ECI of covering up “vote theft” and vowed to expose it before the people. Meanwhile, BJP MP Shashank Mani defended the commission, arguing that releasing CCTV footage would harm voter privacy and accused the opposition of making baseless allegations to divert public attention.
As the debate intensifies, the Election Commission finds itself caught between calls for transparency and concerns about voter privacy. The opposition continues to demand clarity, while the ruling party insists the criticism is politically motivated.
