# 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.
- Title: ECINet platform can disable state access centrally · The Hindu
- Summary: 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…
- Keywords: election commission of india, ecinet platform, electoral roll, state nodal officers, centralisation, india elections, charchagram audit, news, politics, ECINet, platform, disable
- Source: The Hindu — https://thehindu.com/news/national/on-ecinet-platform-access-for-states-can-be-switched-off-and-on-centrally-report/article71605004.ece
- Author: Sreeparna Chakrabarty
- Published: 2026-10-20T16:25:57+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: election commission of india, ecinet platform, electoral roll, state nodal officers, centralisation, india elections, charchagram audit, news, politics
## 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.
## Key takeaway

An audit of India's ECINet platform found it can centrally disable state officials' access to election data, contradicting claims of decentralisation.