No takers: Amid SIR tussle, EC's cloud-linked electoral operations hit turbulence

New Delhi: While the Election Commission of India (ECI) is caught amid controversies over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, its massive cloud-linked electoral operations, currently anchored by state-owned BSNL, have run into trouble, with the contract with the public sector undertaking nearing expiry and its tender plans going awry, even as the poll panel delays a final decision, ET has learnt.

The high-value tender was floated by the ECI's IT division, which itself is under scrutiny over SIR-linked operations. The process has resulted in a single qualifying vendor that has not fulfilled a mandatory requirement, putting the Commission in a challenging position and triggering debate within the poll panel, ET has gathered.

Also read: SC registry points out 10 defects in Rahul Gandhi's plea in SIR case


The ECI, responding to ET's queries, said that "since the tender process is still under process, it would not be appropriate to comment anything on this matter". It added that the "bid [has] not [been] finalised as of now", but a final decision would soon be taken.

Time, however, is running out as the contract with BSNL is also drawing to a close.

ET has learnt that high-level discussions are lined up this week to find a legally tenable solution to ensure that the ECI's IT operations continue uninterrupted, particularly as it is in the thick of the SIR of electoral rolls across several states.

Few options

Even if the ECI were to float a fresh tender, the process would take another 5-6 months. This is untenable as it would bring a large part of the Commission's multi-tier cloud infrastructure to a standstill. Its cloud operations form a crucial backbone supporting a range of electoral functions, from pre-poll logistics to administrative portals connecting chief electoral officers, voter-list management and post-poll result reporting.

The ECI's tender notice stated that it is increasingly relying on "secure and resilient information technology and cloud-based infrastructure to support electoral operations, voter services, and data management, while maintaining the highest standards of cyber and information security, confidentiality, and availability".

The poll panel may, therefore, have to continue with BSNL on an as-is basis, but must find a way to do so at the earliest.

The ECI has been awarding its cloud services contract to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd on a nomination basis and renewing it for nearly a decade, under a special dispensation available to government entities engaged in highly sensitive and confidential national operations such as elections.

However, government authorities have now begun transitioning to a competitive procurement model, considered more desirable for better use of taxpayers' money, particularly after the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) introduced clear-cut specifications for cloud services.

Also read: Rahul Gandhi, 10 Opposition leaders seek stay on SIR, audit of voter deletions in plea to SC

The tender under a cloud

After deliberations beginning in 2025, given the need to shift to more advanced cloud operations, the ECI issued a Request for Proposal on May 13 for a "limited" tender for the "Selection of MEITY empanelled Cloud Service Provider for Migration, Hosting and Operations for ECI". The bid was opened on June 20.

ET has learnt that about three bidders were in the fray for the five-year contract, from among MeitY-empanelled providers such as RailTel, BSNL, NIC-NISCI and others. Ultimately, only one bidder is learnt to have qualified, scoring the highest on the combined technical and cost formula used for the process.