Guwahati: The Congress on Sunday accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of withholding information about its ECINET software, alleging that the lack of transparency was concealing what the party described as large-scale, centralised manipulation of electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
The opposition party renewed its demand for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s removal and called for the immediate suspension of the SIR exercise.
Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh raised the issue in a post on X, sharing a media report that said the ECI had refused to disclose the name and version of the software used to identify errors and anomalies in electoral rolls during the SIR.
According to the report, the poll body cited commercial confidence, trade secrets and intellectual property as grounds for withholding the information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
Ramesh alleged that the ECI was refusing to disclose details of the software at the centre of the SIR exercise, including whether artificial intelligence (AI) was being used and what safeguards had been put in place.
He said the lack of transparency surrounding ECINET and the alleged use of AI had undermined public confidence in the electoral roll revision process.
The Congress leader questioned why information about the software’s development by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) had emerged through disclosures rather than a transparent announcement by the ECI.
He also challenged the Commission’s repeated denials regarding the use of AI in the SIR and electoral roll revision, alleging that the technology was being used without adequate public disclosure.
Ramesh further claimed that ECINET and the ECI’s IT Division had been the subject of repeated objections by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. He said the concerns had also reached the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
“The public knows that massive manipulation has taken place. Gyanesh Kumar must go. The SIR must be suspended forthwith,” Ramesh said, reiterating the party’s position.
The Congress’s allegations come amid a controversy following a report by The Indian Express that Election Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over the preceding 10 months. The objections reportedly concerned decisions and orders, largely relating to the conduct of the SIR of electoral rolls.
The Election Commission, however, has maintained that differences of opinion and observations are part of deliberations within any institution. It has also said that its orders carry full legal validity and comply with established statutory procedures.
The dispute over ECINET and the SIR has intensified political scrutiny of the electoral roll revision exercise, with the Congress demanding greater transparency from the poll body.