ECINET and ERONET: Digitising Electoral Roll Management

ECINET and ERONET: Election Commission’s Electoral Roll Systems

Why in News?

• The Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer has sought changes in the ECINET platform to give Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) greater flexibility during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. 
• The issue has also raised concerns about whether digital systems could restrict the statutory powers of EROs. 

What is Special Intensive Revision (SIR)?

• Under Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the Election Commission can order a special revision of electoral rolls. 
• In an intensive revision, the electoral roll is prepared afresh, while in a summary revision, existing entries are updated or corrected.
• EROs are legally responsible for preparing and revising electoral rolls for their constituencies. 

What are ECINET?

• ECINET is the Election Commission of India’s one-stop digital platform for election-related information and services. 
• It was launched in January 2026 at the International Conference on Democracy and Election Management (IICDEM 2026) in New Delhi. 
• The platform integrates 40+ ECI apps and portals into a single system. 
• It provides services for voters, candidates, political parties and election officials. 
• Key services include: 
  • Voter registration and electoral roll search 
  • Application tracking 
  • e-EPIC download 
  • Candidate and polling-station information 
  • Grievance redressal 
  • Connecting with BLOs and election officials 
• ECINET is available in 22 scheduled languages and English. 
• It has been developed in accordance with the Constitution, Representation of the People Acts, 1950 and 1951, Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, and Conduct of Election Rules, 1961. 
• Cybersecurity is a major component of the platform, along with transparency, efficiency and secure data management. 

About ERONET

• ERONET (Electoral Roll Management System) is a web-based platform developed by the Election Commission to standardise voter registration and electoral roll management across India. 
• Earlier, states used different applications and databases, making form processing, data management and maintenance costly and difficult. 
• ERONET provides a common system for all States and Union Territories, including a unified database called UNPER (Unified National Photo Electoral Roll). 
• It supports the complete electoral roll process, including: 
  • Voter registration 
  • Migration of electors 
  • Field verification 
  • Addition and deletion of names 
  • Electoral roll preparation and printing 
• Applications can be submitted through platforms such as Voter Portal, Voter Helpline App, BLO App and voters.eci.gov.in, after which ERO/AERO officials process them through ERONET. 
• The system helps identify and remove duplicate entries, including cases arising from migration, thereby improving the accuracy of electoral rolls. 
• Artificial Intelligence is used to identify: 
  • PSE (Photo Similar Entries) – voters with similar photographs. 
  • DSE (Demographic Similar Entries) – voters with similar demographic details. 
• Major features: 
  • Single database for all States and UTs 
  • Support for 14 languages and 11 scripts 
  • Real-time tracking of applications 
  • Performance monitoring of election officials 
  • Data analysis and decision-support reports 
• ERONET is designed to create a standardised, accurate and reliable electoral roll, supporting the conduct of free and fair elections.

Why is ECINET under scrutiny?

• During SIR, the software identifies “logical discrepancies”, such as mismatches in family details or unusual age differences. 
• The Maharashtra CEO has sought options allowing EROs to: 
  • Exempt certain cases from hearings. 
  • Accept additional documents. 
  • Resolve more cases using local verification. 
  • Upload the Last SIR extract only when necessary. 
• The ECI has announced a review of ECINET by a committee headed by a senior Deputy Election Commissioner, with an independent IIT/IIIT expert. 

Practice Question

Q. With reference to ECINET and ERONET, consider the following statements:

1. ERONET was developed as a common electoral roll management system to standardise voter registration and related processes across States and Union Territories. 
2. ECINET has replaced the statutory role of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) in taking final decisions regarding inclusion and deletion of names from electoral rolls. 
3. The use of Artificial Intelligence in ERONET includes identification of Photo Similar Entries (PSE) and Demographic Similar Entries (DSE). 
4. Under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the Election Commission can direct a special revision of electoral rolls, including an intensive revision in which the electoral roll is prepared afresh. 

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 1, 3 and 4 only
(c) 2 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer: (b) 1, 3 and 4 only

Explanation

• ERONET was developed as a common platform to standardise electoral roll management, including voter registration, migration, verification and deletion across States and Union Territories. Hence, Statement 1 is Correct. 
• ECINET does not replace the statutory authority of EROs. EROs remain responsible for taking decisions regarding the preparation and revision of electoral rolls. ECINET is a digital platform that supports the electoral process. Hence, Statement 2 is Incorrect. 
• ERONET uses Artificial Intelligence to identify PSE (Photo Similar Entries) and DSE (Demographic Similar Entries) to help improve the accuracy of electoral rolls. Hence, Statement 3 is Correct. 
• Under Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the Election Commission can direct a special revision of an electoral roll. In an intensive revision, the electoral roll is prepared afresh. Hence, Statement 4 is Correct.