"All of this was a lie": Jairam Ramesh hits out at ECI over ECINET review
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh labels ECI's ECINET review committee a "damage control" move and calls the commission's previous legal claims a "lie.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), dismissing the commission's recent decision to form a review committee for its ECINET system as a desperate attempt at "damage control." Ramesh asserted that the ECI's previous claims regarding the legal compliance of the platform were a "lie."
Allegations of Constitutional Violations
The controversy stems from the ECI's decision on September 26, 2026, to appoint a committee—headed by a Senior Deputy Election Commissioner (DEC) and including an independent expert from an IIT/IIIT—to review whether the ECINET system complies with relevant acts and rules. Ramesh argued that if the intentions of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar were honest, the legality of the system would never have been called into question in the first place.
The ECINET portal was launched on January 22, 2026, with the stated goal of enhancing transparency, credibility, and public trust. At the time of its launch, the ECI had assured the nation that the system was developed in strict accordance with the Constitution of India, the Representation of the People Acts of 1950 and 1951, and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
Restricting Access to Electoral Officers
Ramesh leveled serious allegations against the commission, claiming that the ECI has violated statutory laws by restricting the access of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to the ECINET voter roll system. He specifically pointed to instances in states such as Goa and West Bengal, where he alleges the ECI overruled the authority of EROs.
"Both these laws establish that the ERO has statutory authority over the electoral roll," Ramesh stated, emphasizing that the centralization of control via the ECINET system undermines the legal standing of field officers.
INDIA Bloc to Demand Accountability
The Congress leader noted that the Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer had already written to the ECI on September 24, 2026, seeking a correction to what was described as an "illegal state of affairs."
Ramesh declared that the INDIA bloc, alongside civil society organizations and citizens, would launch nationwide protests to demand accountability for these alleged violations of the law and the Constitution. The political friction follows the ECI's recent meeting where it decided that field officers would have role-based access to the system as per their statutory powers, while also noting that various upgrades to the portal have been made based on inputs from State Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs).