New Delhi, September 24, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has defended the architecture of its ECINet digital platform, asserting that statutory powers relating to electoral rolls remain with designated election officials at the field level and cannot be exercised by officers at the Commission’s headquarters.
ECI officials said ECINet has been developed in accordance with the Representation of the People Acts of 1950 and 1951, along with rules and instructions issued by the poll panel. They maintained that the digital platform does not change or transfer the statutory responsibilities assigned to election officials under the existing legal framework.
According to the officials, Booth Level Officers (BLOs), Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), District Election Officers (DEOs) and Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) can perform their respective functions on ECINet using unique IDs and passwords.
“No one else can perform their statutory function on ECINET, including any other officer of the Election Commission,” EC sources said, stressing that access is linked to the official’s designated role.
The clarification comes amid scrutiny of the Commission’s electoral-roll technology following reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised concerns over the alleged gradual centralisation of electoral-roll databases and the access available to election officials in states.
The ECI has maintained that its decisions, including those relating to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), have been taken with the approval of all three commissioners.
Officials described ECINet as a technological platform intended to facilitate functions that are already assigned under election law, rather than a mechanism for altering the statutory chain of authority. The Commission’s own technology documents describe a network connecting the ECI with CEOs, DEOs, EROs, BLOs and other election-management bodies.
The officials also highlighted cybersecurity measures protecting ECINet against malicious attempts and unauthorised access. According to the ECI, more than 68 lakh malicious cyber hits were effectively countered on the counting day of the 2026 Assembly elections, when ECINet and other election-related systems experienced heavy traffic.
The Commission said its security arrangements are intended to ensure that authorised officials can access and perform only those functions assigned to them under the electoral laws.
The clarification comes as the ECI faces wider scrutiny over its digital systems, including questions surrounding ECINet and the underlying ERONet platform used for electoral-roll management.
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