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ECINet Decentralized: Field Officials Retain Statutory Powers, EC Clarifies Amid Centralization Concerns
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News18•24-09-2026, 20:45
ECINet Decentralized: Field Officials Retain Statutory Powers, EC Clarifies Amid Centralization Concerns
- •EC officials assert ECINet is a decentralized platform where only designated field officials can perform statutory functions using unique IDs and passwords, not headquarters staff.
- •The clarification addresses concerns raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi regarding the "gradual centralization" of the electoral roll database.
- •Cybersecurity for ECINet is provided centrally to protect against malicious attacks, citing 6.8 million attempts during recent assembly elections.
- •Officials rejected questions about the legality of an additional declaration sought from new voters with Form 6 during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), stating it had unanimous Commission approval.
- •The Supreme Court judgment on May 27 held that the SIR exercise aligns with the Representation of the People Act and the Constitution, traceable to Section 21(3) and Article 324.
Key Questions Answered
ECINet is a decentralized platform where statutory functions can only be performed by designated election officials like BLOs, AEROs, EROs, DEOs, and CEOs using unique IDs and passwords, ensuring headquarters staff cannot execute these duties.
Centralized cybersecurity for ECINet is provided by the Election Commission to protect the system from malicious attacks, specifically noting around 68 lakh such attempts recorded on counting day during assembly elections earlier in the year.
Officials stated that the additional declaration requirement originated from the June 24, 2025 Bihar SIR order with unanimous Commission approval, was included in subsequent orders for other states and UTs, and was supported by a May 27 Supreme Court judgment.