From The Hindu · Sreeparna Chakrabarty · · 2m
ECINet platform can disable state access centrally
India's election digital platform has a feature to switch state official access on and off from the centre, an audit finds.
In brief
India's election digital platform has a feature to switch state official access on and off from the centre, an audit finds. An audit of India's ECINet platform found it can centrally disable state officials' access to election data, contradicting claims of decentralisation. Originally reported by The Hindu.
ECINet platform has central control
ECINet, the Election Commission of India's digital platform, has a feature allowing access for State Nodal Officers to be switched off anytime from the centre.
Audit reveals disable buttons
An audit by Charchagram, a civic tech initiative, found that ECINet has a dedicated State Nodal Officer management area with a built-in disable action for each state.
Disable button blocks access
Each State Nodal Officer row has a disable button. The pop-up warning states: On disabling this State Nodal Officer, the user will no longer be able to access the application.
“On disabling this State Nodal Officer, the user will no longer be able to access the application.”
Enumeration form access can switch
The code contains a message: View enumeration form details is not enabled for selected State. This means viewing enumeration forms can be switched on or off state by state.
“View enumeration form details is not enabled for selected State”
Full account-level block possible
The audit author Saurav Rajput, a data scientist and alumnus of IIT Delhi and IIM Calcutta, found the disable feature appears to be a full account-level block, not a partial restriction.
Portal launched in January 2026
ECINet was launched in January 2026 as a unified portal for officials, joining multiple apps under one login including user management and the Enumeration Form Tracker.
Feature visible in public code
Rajput located the disable feature on September 28. The login page loads a JavaScript file before anyone logs in that anyone can open, revealing features meant for officials only.
West Bengal officials specifically blocked
The audit found ECINet carries a feature that can bar Electoral Registration Officers and Assistant EROs only in West Bengal from reviewing voters' enumeration forms.
Congress demands accountability
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the system violates statutory authority of Electoral Registration Officers. The law establishes that EROs have statutory authority over the electoral roll.
“The law establishes that EROs have statutory authority over the electoral roll.”
The big picture
An audit of India's ECINet platform found it can centrally disable state officials' access to election data, contradicting claims of decentralisation.