CONGRESS QUESTIONS ECI MEASURES ON SIR, RAISES CONCERNS OVER VOTER DELETIONS AND ECINET

September 28, 2026

The Congress on Sunday questioned the Election Commission’s latest measures concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, arguing that the steps announced by the poll panel did not address several of the party’s concerns over voter deletions, the ECINet system and the use of artificial intelligence.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the Election Commission’s decision to arrange fresh visits by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to voters facing notices did not adequately resolve concerns surrounding the revision process. The ECI has said BLOs will visit the homes of affected voters to collect documents, while people whose names were left out can seek inclusion through the electoral-roll updating process.

Ramesh also questioned the functioning of ECINet, particularly its role in electoral-roll preparation and the authority of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs). The Election Commission has announced a committee, including an independent technical expert, to examine whether the software complies with the relevant laws and rules. The poll panel has maintained that statutory authorities retain their prescribed powers within the system.

The Congress leader further raised questions over the use of artificial intelligence in electoral-roll revision. He referred to instances in Delhi and West Bengal and called for greater transparency regarding the technology used in the process. These claims remain disputed, with the Election Commission previously stating that AI was not used at any stage of electoral-roll preparation.

The Election Commission has maintained that decisions relating to the SIR were unanimously approved by all three election commissioners and that the relevant Form 6 changes were upheld by the Supreme Court. The latest exchange comes amid continuing political and public scrutiny of the SIR exercise and reported differences within the poll panel.