Rigging claims: Telangana Congress requests analysis of election footage to find ‘violations’

Hyderabad: In connection with their recent complaint against alleged election rigging and bogus votes in Chandrayangutta, Charminar and Bahadurpura Assembly constituencies, the TPCC submitted a formal request to the Telangana CEO to freeze and examine the web and closed-circuit television footage in the areas captured on the voting day in the recently concluded Telangana State Assembly elections.

In the request submitted on Friday, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee highlighted the various rules regarding the storage and supply of CCTV footage captured on voting day, as per the returning officer’s handbook.

According to the returning officer’s handbook, specifically Section 19.10, the storage and supply of CCTV recordings play a crucial role in ensuring transparency and accountability in the electoral process.

“The guidelines stipulate that videography and CCTV footage of various stages, including nomination, scrutiny, withdrawal, polling, and counting, should be securely kept by the district election officer for 45 days from the date of the declaration of the election results,” the letter to the chief electoral officer said.

The delegation also pointed to Section 19.10.2 of the handbook, which mandated the retention of video recordings related to election campaign activities for eight months from the date of the result declaration. “This provision reinforces the need for a comprehensive review of the recorded material to ensure the integrity of the electoral process,” the letter said.

The request extended to obtaining a copy of the web and CC footage for further scrutiny. “As per Section 19.10.3, the candidates are entitled to receive copies of the data free of cost, while others may obtain copies upon payment of Rs 300 per CD/storage device (exclusive of the cost of CD/storage devices),” it said.

On December 2, the delegation, led by chief minister A Revanth Reddy (then president of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee), brought this matter to the attention of the Returning Officers concerned for a thorough examination of the web and CC footage before proceeding with the counting process.

Revanth Reddy emphasised the importance of adhering to these guidelines, stating, “We request you to advise the district election officer of Hyderabad to thoroughly examine all web and CC footage to determine whether any violations occurred on the election day.”

In light of these developments, the focus is on upholding the principles of transparency and accountability in the electoral process. The examination of web and CC footage becomes crucial in addressing the concerns raised by the Congress party candidates and ensuring the legitimacy of the election results in Chandrayangutta, Charminar, and Bahadurpura Assembly constituencies.