Congress accuses Election Commission of 'lying' about ECINet, demands accountability

The Congress on Friday (October 2, 2026) accused the Election Commission of "lying" about the ECINet portal and violating the Representation of the People Act, as it stressed accountability for the "violations of the law and the Constitution."

Jairam Ramesh, the Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, said that in its "damage control but actually damage enhancing" press note of September 26, 2026, the Election Commission of India had promised a committee to certify that the legally suspect ECINet "complies with the provisions of the Acts and Rules."

"In reality, this should never have been in doubt at all in the first place if the intentions of the CEC Gyanesh Kumar were honest, which they were not," Mr. Ramesh said.

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ECINet was launched on January 22, 2026, with much fanfare, to "enhance transparency, credibility and public trust," he said in a post on X. The Election Commission's press note of that day had assured the country the system "has been developed in strict accordance with the law" and in full compliance with the Constitution of India, the Representation of the People Acts, 1950 and 1951, and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, he said. "All of this was a lie," Mr. Ramesh claimed.

"By restricting access of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to the ECINet voter roll system and by overruling EROs in states like Goa, West Bengal and others, the ECI controlled by the CEC has violated The Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960," Mr. Ramesh said, adding that both laws establish that the ERO has statutory authority over the electoral roll.

After the revelations last week, the Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer wrote to the Election Commission on September 24, 2026, asking for a correction of this "illegal state of affairs," Mr. Ramesh pointed out. "Starting today, the INDIA janbandhan, citizens and many civil society organisations will hit the streets across the country demanding accountability for these violations of the law and the Constitution," he said.

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The Congress had said on Thursday (October 1, 2026) that the chorus of voices against the "capture" of the electoral system was getting louder, and asserted that citizens would no longer tolerate "vote chori" in any form.

The opposition INDIA bloc had, on Wednesday (September 30, 2026), announced joint "save democracy" marches in all districts and five major rallies, demanded that future polls be held with ballot paper, and appealed to the Supreme Court to expedite cases on the SIR and alleged electoral "malpractices."

At a meeting attended by leaders of as many as 19 political parties, it was decided that all Opposition MPs would march to the Election Commission on October 6, 2026, and that leaders would meet the President to raise alleged irregularities in the voter list revision. The grouping also discussed its demand for the CEC's resignation, saying it would not relent until he was removed.

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That meeting came days after The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected on record at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions and orders on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) that they said were issued without their knowledge or recommendation.

Under fire over the objections raised by two of its Commissioners, the Election Commission has maintained that differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberations in any institution, and that all its orders carry full legal sanction and follow established statutory procedures.