ERONET software controversy highlights electoral roll governance challenges in SIR exercise

Hindustan Times - India · 24 Sept 2026 · 2 min read
Prelims · Polity Mains · GS2 Governance High relevance

The Election Commission's ERONET software has flagged 17.6 million voters for 'logical discrepancies' during Special Intensive Revision (SIR), sparking concerns about centralization of electoral database control and translation errors in multilingual states.

Key points

ERONET software under ECINET has flagged 17.6 million voters across Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Delhi under 'logical discrepancy' category during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Two Election Commissioners Vivek Joshi and Sukhbir Sandhu have raised 14 objections about centralization of electoral roll database control, violating statutory officers' access rights under Representation of People Act.

[GS2-Governance] The controversy reveals systemic flaws in electoral roll management, particularly in multilingual states where translation errors from 2002 base rolls (in regional languages) create mismatches with current English records.

Director General (IT) Seema Khanna faces allegations of restricting access to ERONET portal that legally belongs to Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), raising questions about IT governance in constitutional bodies.

In Goa, 97 voters were excluded despite ERO approval due to technical glitches in ERONET, exposing operational deficiencies in the software's rollback mechanisms.

[GS1-Society] Translation errors disproportionately affect marginalized communities like Qamer Fatima in Hyderabad, where Telugu-to-English name mismatches threaten voting rights, highlighting digital exclusion risks.

Similar issues occurred in West Bengal's SIR where 6 million were flagged and 2.71 million eventually disenfranchised, showing persistent electoral roll governance challenges.

The controversy connects to Article 324 of Constitution which vests superintendence of elections in ECI, now facing internal dissent about technology implementation.

Way Forward: ECI should establish multilingual verification protocols, decentralize ERONET access to statutory officers, create transparent discrepancy resolution mechanisms, and implement robust audit trails for all electoral roll changes.

Key terms

Special Intensive Revision (SIR)

A periodic electoral roll verification process conducted by Election Commission of India to identify and rectify discrepancies like duplicate entries, deceased voters and inaccuracies. Governed by Representation of People Act, 1950, it's crucial for maintaining electoral integrity but often faces challenges in multilingual states.

ERONET (Electoral Roll Officers' Network)

ECI's software for matching current electors with base electoral rolls. Part of ECINET ecosystem, its algorithmic decisions impact voter inclusion/exclusion, making its accuracy and accessibility vital for democratic rights under Article 326.

Electoral Registration Officer (ERO)

Statutory officer under Section 13B of Representation of People Act responsible for preparing/maintaining electoral rolls. Their constitutional authority is being undermined by centralized IT controls in current ERONET controversy.

Logical Discrepancy

Technical category in SIR process flagging voters when current details don't match base records. While meant to catch errors, its opaque application risks wrongful disenfranchisement, especially in multilingual contexts.