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Election Commissioners Flag Centralized Control of Voter Software
India uses voter lists to decide who can vote.
Special officers in each area are supposed to manage those lists.
The Election Commission created a new computer system called ECINet that brings many election services together.
Two Election Commissioners said the system was giving too much control to the Commission’s technology division in New Delhi.
They said some local officers could not add, remove, or update voter names properly.
They also worried that new software features were introduced without enough review by the full Commission.
One commissioner suggested independent experts should check the system.
The two commissioners reported an internal administrative dispute to the Cabinet Secretary.
The Election Commission and the commissioners did not respond to the newspaper’s requests for comment.
Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi warned that ECINet and ERONet were centralizing control of electoral rolls.
They said Electoral Registration Officers and other statutory authorities were being denied complete access needed to perform their legal duties.
The commissioners repeatedly raised concerns about IT modules developed without sufficient Commission briefings or approvals.
Joshi proposed independent audits involving outside experts to verify database access and legal compliance.
The two commissioners reported a July administrative order to Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan and later set it aside.
- Who
- Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi raised concerns involving the Election Commission of India’s IT division and statutory electoral-roll officers.
- What
- They alleged that centralized control of ECINet and ERONet restricted officers’ legal powers and access to voter databases.
- Where
- The dispute involved the Election Commission’s offices in New Delhi and electoral-roll operations across Indian states and Union Territories.
- When
- The concerns were documented from November 4, 2025, through August 14, with ECINet launched on January 22, 2026.
- Why
- The commissioners sought to ensure that legally designated electoral authorities retained control of voter-roll decisions and that the software complied with election law.
Commissioners’ Concerns
ECI’s Stated Position
Software control and legality
Commissioners’ Concerns
Sandhu and Joshi said centralized access controls could restrict Electoral Registration Officers and undermine the decentralized system required by law.
ECI’s Stated Position
At its launch, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said ECINet was built in strict accordance with the law.
Transparency and public trust
Commissioners’ Concerns
The commissioners sought audits and internal oversight to verify that only authorized statutory officials could change voter records.
ECI’s Stated Position
The Election Commission’s Director General of IT, Seema Khanna, said ECINet would enhance transparency, credibility, and public trust.
Response to allegations
Commissioners’ Concerns
The commissioners documented concerns about restricted access, unapproved modules, and reduced oversight, and reported an administrative order to the Cabinet Secretary.
ECI’s Stated Position
The Election Commission and the two commissioners did not respond to The Indian Express’s calls and emailed questionnaires.
Key facts
- System
- ECINet consolidated more than 40 Election Commission apps and portals.
- Launch date
- ECINet was launched on January 22, 2026.
- Legal framework
- The Representation of the People Act, 1950, and Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, assign electoral-roll responsibilities to Electoral Registration Officers.
- Main concern
- Sandhu and Joshi warned of gradual centralization of the electoral-roll database.
- Audit proposal
- Joshi proposed periodic system reviews and an outside expert, including an IIT expert, to verify database access and legal compliance.
- Administrative dispute
- The commissioners reported a July 28 work-allocation order to Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan.
- Requested action
- Sandhu directed that statutory authorities receive full access to ERONet and be able to perform their duties without restrictions.
Quotes
Deputy Election Commissioner Sanjay Kumar
Election Commission official who raised concerns about restrictions on statutory officers
“IT systems must be in strict compliance with the law, without any exception.”
indianexpress.com
“enhance transparency, credibility and public trust”
indianexpress.com
Sukhbir Singh Sandhu
Election Commissioner of India
“Any action taken on these two notes of two Election Commissioners is not known to the undersigned.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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