Congress accuses Election Commission of ‘lying’ on ECINet; looking for responsibility

Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary in charge of communications, said that in his “damage control, but in reality the damage is mounting”. File | Photo credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

The Congress on Friday (October 2, 2026) accused the Election Commission of “lying” about the legality of its ECINet platform and violating election laws, with party general secretary Jairam Ramesh demanding accountability for what he described as “violations of the law and the constitution”.

Mr. Ramesh said that the ECI in a press release on September 26 announced the formation of a commission to certify that ECINet complies with relevant laws and rules. He described the move as “damage control, but actually increases damage”.

“In fact, there should have been no doubt at all if CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s intentions were honest – which they were not,” he said.

ECINet was launched on January 22 with the stated goal of increasing transparency and public trust. The ECI said at the launch that the platform was “developed in strict accordance with the law” and was in compliance with the Constitution, the Representation of the People Acts 1950 and 1951 and the Voter Registration Rules 1960. “It was all a lie,” Mr Ramesh said.

He alleged that by restricting the Electoral Registration Officers (ERO) access to the ECINet voter system and abolishing the ERO in Goa, West Bengal and other states, the ECI violated the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Electoral Registration Rules, 1960.

“Both these laws provide that the ERO has statutory authority over the electoral roll,” he said, referring to a September 24 letter from the Chief Electoral Officer of Maharashtra, which demanded the rectification of the alleged discrepancy.

“Starting today, INDIA janbandhan, citizens and many civil society organizations will take to the streets across the country to demand accountability for these violations of the law and the constitution,” Mr. Ramesh said.

The INDIA bloc announced joint “save democracy” marches, including a march by opposition MPs to the ECI on October 6, amid demands for the CEC’s resignation and a review of the Special Intensive Review process.

Published – 02 Oct 2026 14:55 IST