‘To hide roll manipulation’: Cong questions EC over withholding ECINET details

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Sunday intensified its criticism of the Election Commission (EC), alleging that the poll body’s repeated refusal to disclose details of the ECINET software was aimed at concealing what the party described as “centralised manipulation” in the “disastrous” Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh shared a report by The Hindustan Times, which said the EC had declined to reveal the name and version of the software used to detect errors and anomalies in voter rolls during the SIR exercise.

The report stated that the poll panel cited “commercial confidence, trade secrets and intellectual property” as grounds for withholding the information, stating the details sought were, therefore, exempt from disclosure under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Accusing the EC of making “flimsy” excuses, Ramesh wrote on X: “The lack of transparency around the ECINET software and the use of AI has damaged the credibility of the entire process among citizens. The ECI is repeatedly refusing to provide this information because it will reveal the reality of the massive, centralised manipulation that has taken place.”

He also questioned why the public learnt from Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) that the company had developed ECINET, rather than the EC disclosing the information itself.

The Congress leader further questioned why the commission had repeatedly denied using artificial intelligence in the SIR exercise, claiming that the technology was clearly being used for electoral roll revision.

Ramesh also cited an earlier report by The Indian Express that triggered protests across the country, particularly in Delhi, with demonstrators demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise.

“The ECINET software and the IT Division of the ECI were the focus of several objections raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. The complaints even reached the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), which comes under the Prime Minister himself,” he wrote, adding that people were aware that a “massive manipulation” had taken place.

Ramesh reiterated the demand for Kumar’s resignation and the suspension of the SIR exercise.

Responding to The Indian Express report, the EC had said that differing views and observations were part of deliberations in any institution, adding that all its orders carried full legal sanction and followed established statutory procedures.