Congress alleges EC hiding ECINET details, Demands CEC removal

New Delhi The Congress on Sunday accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of withholding information about its ECINET software, alleging that the lack of transparency could conceal large-scale manipulation of electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. The opposition party reiterated its demand for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and called for the immediate suspension of the SIR process. Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh raised the issue after sharing a media report that said the ECI had declined to disclose the name and version of the software used to identify errors and anomalies in voter lists. According to the report, the Commission cited commercial confidence, trade secrets and intellectual property provisions under the Right to Information (RTI) Act to deny access to the information. Ramesh alleged that the refusal to disclose details about the software, including whether artificial intelligence (AI) was being used and what safeguards were in place, had undermined public confidence in the electoral roll revision process. He also questioned why the role of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which reportedly developed ECINET, had not been transparently disclosed by the poll body. The Congress leader claimed that the software and the ECI's information technology division had been the subject of objections raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. He said the concerns had also reached the Department of Personnel and Training. Ramesh alleged that the software was being used to centralise manipulation of electoral rolls and insisted that the public deserved clear answers about the technology used in the revision exercise. The Election Commission, however, has maintained that electoral registration officers (EROs) are the statutory authorities responsible for decisions on the inclusion or exclusion of voters. It has also said that its orders follow established legal procedures and carry full statutory authority. The dispute has intensified the political debate over transparency, voter rights and the use of technology in preparing electoral rolls.