Jairam Ramesh Accuses Election Commission of Deception Over ECINET

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has branded the Election Commission of India’s recent move to form a compliance committee for its ECINET system a calculated deception. He argues that the commission’s original claims regarding the platform’s legal and constitutional integrity were false, casting doubt on the leadership of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.

Editorial·October 2, 2026·reads: 369

Jairam Ramesh Accuses Election Commission of Deception Over ECINET

The controversy centers on the ECINET portal, launched on January 22, 2026, which the Commission initially touted as a transparent tool developed in full accordance with the Representation of the People Acts of 1950 and 1951. Ramesh contends that the ECI actively violated these statutes by restricting access for Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and overriding their statutory authority in states including Goa and West Bengal.

Following pressure from the Maharashtra CEO and mounting public scrutiny, the ECI announced on September 26, 2026, that a committee led by a Senior Deputy Election Commissioner would review the system's compliance. While the Commission maintains that field officers possess appropriate role-based access, Ramesh asserts that the INDIA bloc, alongside various civil society organizations, will take to the streets to demand accountability for what he describes as systematic constitutional violations. The ECI has concurrently extended deadlines for filing claims and objections regarding voter roll deletions in Maharashtra and Delhi, moving these dates to October and November 2026 respectively.