Surjewala Raises Questions Over ECINet in Voter Roll Revision, Alleges Centralised Control

Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala has raised questions over the Election Commission’s ECINet platform and its role in the ongoing revision of electoral rolls, alleging that the system’s centralised structure could contribute to voters being left out of draft rolls. In a post on X on Tuesday, Surjewala criticised the Election Commission under Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and raised concerns about the poll panel’s functioning. He also referred to recent legal proceedings and observations concerning the Election Commission.

Taking a sharp dig at the digital platform, Surjewala described ECINet as a “centralized software” and alleged that it had given greater control over electoral-roll processes to a central system. According to him, this could limit the ability of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to address discrepancies and resolve voter-related issues at the local level.

Surjewala also cited figures related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Maharashtra. He claimed that around 21.1 per cent of electors were absent from the state’s draft electoral roll and argued that such exclusions could have a greater impact on vulnerable groups, including homeless people, tribal communities and migrant workers.

The Congress leader further questioned the Election Commission’s administrative and financial transparency and called for the SIR exercise to be halted. The controversy comes amid wider scrutiny of ECINet, the Election Commission’s integrated digital platform for election-related processes. A recent report cited concerns reportedly raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi regarding the centralisation of electoral-roll databases and the level of access available to officials at the state level.

The Election Commission has rejected the characterisation of ECINet as a fully centralised system, stating that it operates as a decentralised platform and that statutory responsibilities remain with the officials legally authorised to perform them. Amid the debate, the Election Commission on September 26 decided to establish a committee headed by a Senior Deputy Election Commissioner to review ECINet. The panel will also include an independent expert from an IIT or IIIT and will examine whether the platform complies with applicable laws and electoral rules.

The deadline for filing claims and objections against Maharashtra’s draft electoral rolls under the SIR exercise has been extended to October 12. The Election Commission has clarified that voters whose names do not appear in the draft list have not necessarily been permanently removed and can apply for inclusion through the prescribed procedure.