On Friday, the Congress party accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of lying about the ECINet portal and violating the Representation of the People Act, demanding accountability for what it called breaches of the law and the Constitution.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh cited the ECI’s press note of September 26, 2026, which promised a committee to certify that the legally suspect ECINet complied with Acts and Rules. He said the portal, launched on January 22, 2026, was promoted as a tool to enhance transparency and public trust, but that claim was false. Ramesh alleged that the ECI, under Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, restricted Electoral Registration Officers’ access to the ECINet voter‑roll system and overruled officers in states such as Goa and West Bengal, thereby violating the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
Ramesh noted that the Maharashtra Chief Election Officer had written to the ECI on September 24, 2026, requesting a correction of the illegal state of affairs. He warned that citizens and civil‑society organisations would take to the streets nationwide to demand accountability for these violations. The opposition INDIA bloc announced “save democracy” marches in all districts, demanded future polls be conducted with ballot paper, and urged the Supreme Court to expedite cases related to SIR and electoral malpractices.
At a meeting attended by leaders of 19 parties, it was decided that opposition MPs would march to the ECI on October 6 and meet the President to highlight alleged irregularities in voter‑list revision. The group also demanded the resignation of the CEC. The Indian Express reported that Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected on record at least 14 times over the past ten months to SIR decisions made without their knowledge or recommendation, while the ECI defended its orders as fully sanctioned and procedurally correct.
