Modi was aware of ECI restricting EROs' access to ECINet: Congress

Jairam Ramesh alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was aware of Election Commissioners' objections over restrictions on ERO access to ECINet.

Two election commissioners had complained to the Cabinet secretary over a July order affecting oversight of the ECI's IT division.

The ECI has rejected allegations of unilateral decision-making, but subsequently ordered a review of ECINet amid the controversy.

Congress Rajya Sabha MP and general-secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh on Saturday, 3 October alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was aware of the Election Commission of India (ECI) IT division restricting electoral registration officers' (ERO) access to the ECINet electoral-roll portal, after two election commissioners raised objections to the changes.

Ramesh said the complaint by election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had reached the department of personnel and training (DoPT), which falls under the prime minister's charge, and alleged that the changes were therefore likely made with Modi's knowledge and direction.

The Congress leader was referring to reports that Sandhu and Joshi had objected on record to a series of decisions relating to the management of electoral rolls and the functioning of the ECI's IT division. The two commissioners wrote separately to cabinet secretary T.V. Somanathan on 29 July over a work-allocation order that they said had reduced oversight of the IT division and was issued without their knowledge. They subsequently set aside the order.

.India is asking, 'what next?'. Ramesh said a media report had indicated that the officer against whom the two commissioners had complained to the cabinet secretary in July continued to occupy a key position in the Election Commission. 'Instead of action being taken against him, the officer is now overseeing the controversial IT division of the Election Commission,' Ramesh said in a post on X.

He alleged that the July complaint was prompted by an order issued by the officer that removed oversight of the IT division and allowed it to function without adequate transparency. 'We now learn that since August, the officer has been given the power to oversee the IT division. So, the ECI's deceptive clarification in its press note released on September 26 was to hide the real story,' Ramesh alleged.

According to Ramesh, the two election commissioners had objected to the IT division restricting EROs' access to the ECINet voter-roll portal and effectively overriding their statutory authority over additions and deletions from the electoral rolls.

The issue is part of a wider dispute within the three-member poll panel. An investigation by the Indian Express last month reported that Sandhu and Joshi had raised at least 14 written objections over 10 months to decisions concerning voter registration, deletions and restorations, the electoral-roll database and the special intensive revision (SIR) process.

.The making of Gyanesh Kumar. In one of the objections, Sandhu recorded that officers did not have 'proper and complete access' to the electoral-roll portal and questioned the legal authority of the director-general of IT to restrict their access. The two commissioners also objected to a 28 July work-allocation order concerning the IT and ICT divisions.

Ramesh alleged that the developments pointed to an attempt by chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the government to centralise control over the electoral-roll system.

'It appears that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the prime minister himself have kept the particular officer in place to retain their centralised control over the entire system. The 'Vote Chori' operation is becoming clearer by the day,' he alleged.

The Congress has been demanding Kumar's removal and has repeatedly questioned the functioning of the ECI under his leadership. The Election Commission, however, has rejected the broader allegations. In its response to the Indian Express investigation, it said differing views and observations were a normal part of institutional decision-making and maintained that decisions taken over the previous year had the unanimous approval of the full Commission. It also said its digital platforms operated under strict data-security protocols and that EROs and district election officers continued to exercise their statutory powers.

However, the Commission subsequently ordered a review of ECINet and announced measures aimed at addressing concerns raised over access and the handling of electoral-roll discrepancies. At a meeting on 26 September, it said electors flagged for certain 'logical discrepancies' or as 'unmapped' would not necessarily have to appear in person for hearings.

The dispute over ECINet comes against the backdrop of the nationwide SIR exercise, which has become a major political flashpoint, with Opposition parties alleging that the process could result in the exclusion of eligible voters. The ECI has maintained that the exercise is being conducted under established statutory procedures.

With PTI inputs

. Join our official telegram channel ( @nationalherald ) and stay updated with the latest headlines