Election Commission Refuses to Disclose Voter Roll Software Details

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has refused to disclose the name and version of the software used to identify anomalies during its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. In a response to a Right to Information (RTI) application filed by activist MA Mujeeb Ayyub, the commission cited exemptions regarding commercial confidence, trade secrets, and intellectual property. The ECI denied that any new software was developed or procured for the SIR, asserting that Electoral Registration Officers maintain the statutory authority to decide on voter inclusion or exclusion.

The refusal has sparked intense political backlash as the SIR exercise resulted in the deletion of 130 million names from electoral rolls. The Indian National Congress accused the poll body of concealing the use of artificial intelligence to hide "massive, centralised manipulation" of voter rolls. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh questioned why the involvement of Tata Consultancy Services in developing the ECINET software was revealed through company disclosures rather than the ECI, and demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Internal friction has also emerged within the commission, with reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi formally objected 14 times over 10 months to decisions regarding the SIR. Former Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat advised the RTI applicant to file a legal appeal to obtain the information the ECI is evading.