ECINet and Central Control of Electoral Roll Access: Why the Debate Matters
A new report says that on ECINet, the Election Commission of India's (ECI) single digital platform, the access of state-level election officials can be switched off and on from the centre.
This matters because, under election law, voter lists are prepared and corrected by statutory officers in the field, such as the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), and supervised by each state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).
Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had earlier recorded objections inside the Commission. Their concerns included the centralisation of ECINet and of the electoral roll database, and limits on access for statutory officers.
An earlier case from Goa was cited: EROs found 97 voters eligible during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), but could not restore their names because the software had no rollback (undo) option.
The ECI has said ECINet is decentralised. It says only designated officials (BLOs, AEROs, EROs, DEOs and CEOs) can do their statutory work through unique IDs and passwords, while cybersecurity is handled centrally.
On 26 September 2026, the Commission ordered a review of ECINet by a panel headed by a senior deputy election commissioner, with an independent IIT or IIIT expert, to check whether the platform follows election laws and rules.
ECINET and Electoral Roll Management: Technology for Voter Services
ECINET is the Election Commission of India's single digital platform. It joins together more than 40 earlier apps and websites, so voters, election officials and political parties can use one login. Behind it sits the electoral roll database, the master list of the country's voters. The older roll-management system, ERONET, has been merged into ECINET as its electoral roll module.
The report that state access can be switched on and off centrally goes to the heart of how ECINET is designed. The review panel will test whether this design matches the law, which gives roll decisions to field officers.
Election Commission of India (Article 324): Powers and Functions
The Election Commission of India is the constitutional body that runs elections to Parliament, state legislatures, and the offices of President and Vice-President. Article 324 gives it the "superintendence, direction and control" of preparing electoral rolls and conducting these elections. It is a multi-member body: a Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and, at present, two Election Commissioners (ECs).
The objections by two Election Commissioners show how the multi-member design is meant to work: each member can record dissent, and major decisions need a majority. The ECINet dispute tests how far this collective decision-making covers technology choices that affect the voter list.
Representation of the People Act, 1950: The Law Behind Voter Lists and Seats
The Representation of the People Act, 1950 (RPA 1950) is the law that decides who can be a voter, how voter lists are made and corrected, and how seats are allotted. It sets up a chain of officers who prepare the rolls. These officers work under the "superintendence, direction and control" of the Election Commission, but the law gives each of them specific duties.
Critics argue that if ECINet lets the centre restrict or override what EROs can do, it may clash with the RPA 1950, which places roll decisions with the ERO. The ECI's position is that only these designated officers can perform statutory functions on the platform.
- ECINET: single ECI platform merging 40+ apps; ERONET merged into it as the electoral roll module
- Objections recorded by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi
- Goa: 97 voters found eligible during SIR could not be restored (no rollback option)
- ECINet review panel ordered on 26 September 2026: headed by a senior deputy election commissioner, includes an IIT/IIIT expert
- About 68 lakh malicious attempts on counting day (2026 assembly elections), per ECI
- Article 324: superintendence, direction and control of rolls and elections
- RPA 1950: Section 13A (CEO), 13AA (DEO), 13B (ERO), 13C (AERO)
- 2023 Act, Section 18: unanimity as far as possible, else majority
- T.N. Seshan v. Union of India (1995): CEC and ECs are equal in decision-making
- Registration of Electors Rules, 1960