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Congress questions ECINET secrecy, alleges manipulation in voter roll revision (Img: IANS)
New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday stepped up its attack on the Election Commission (EC), alleging that the poll body’s repeated refusal to disclose details of its ECINET software was an attempt to conceal what the party described as “centralised manipulation” during the “disastrous” Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh shared a report by media, which said the EC had declined to disclose the name and version of the software used to identify errors and anomalies in voter rolls during the SIR exercise.
According to the report, the poll panel cited “commercial confidence, trade secrets and intellectual property” as grounds for withholding the information, arguing that the details sought were exempt from disclosure under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
Ramesh accused the EC of offering “flimsy” excuses and alleged that its lack of transparency was undermining public confidence in the electoral process.
“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.”
The Congress leader also questioned why the public learnt that Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) had developed ECINET through the company itself rather than through a disclosure by the Election Commission.
He further challenged the commission’s repeated denials of using artificial intelligence in the SIR exercise, claiming that the technology was clearly being deployed in the revision of electoral rolls.
Ramesh also referred to an earlier report in media that prompted protests in several parts of the country, particularly in Delhi. Demonstrators demanded 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.
The Congress leader reiterated his demand for Kumar’s resignation and called for the suspension of the SIR exercise.
Responding to media report, the Election Commission said differing views and observations were part of deliberations within any institution.
The poll body also maintained that all its orders had full legal sanction and followed established statutory procedures.
The dispute over ECINET software transparency and the SIR exercise has become a key point of confrontation between the Congress and the Election Commission, with the opposition party continuing to raise concerns about electoral roll revisions.
