New Delhi, Oct. 25 -- The Congress on Sunday accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of withholding information about its ECINET software, alleging that the lack of transparency concealed "massive, centralised manipulation" of electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

The Opposition party reiterated its demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and immediate suspension of the SIR.

Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh shared a media report claiming that the poll body had declined to disclose the name and version of the software used to identify errors and anomalies in voter lists during the revision exercise.

According to the report, the ECI cited "commercial confidence, trade secrets and intellectual property" as grounds for withholding the information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

In a post on X, Ramesh alleged that the commission continued to "hide" information about ECINET, which he described as being at the centre of the SIR exercise and facilitating the centralisation of electoral roll manipulation. He questioned why the ECI had not transparently disclosed that Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) developed the software, asking why the information had emerged through disclosures by the company instead.

Ramesh also questioned the commission's repeated denials regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the SIR and electoral roll revision process. He sought clarity on whether AI was being deployed and what safeguards had been put in place.

He said the lack of transparency surrounding ECINET and the possible use of AI had undermined citizens' confidence in the entire revision process. "The ECI is repeatedly refusing to provide this information because it will reveal the reality of the massive, centralised manipulation that has taken place," Ramesh alleged.

The Congress leader further claimed that ECINET and the ECI's IT Division had figured prominently in several objections raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. He said the complaints had also reached the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), which falls under the Prime Minister's purview.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.