ECINet row: Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer S Chockalingam seeks ERO powers; Congress targets CEC

Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer S Chockalingam has sought changes to the Election Commission's ECINet software to allow Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to exercise greater discretion while dealing with anomalies in electoral rolls, with the request subsequently accepted by the poll panel, according to PTI.

Chockalingam made the request in a letter to the Election Commission on September 24, seeking changes to the centralised system through which notices are generated during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, PTI reported, citing an official in the state poll body. The official said the state had requested that EROs be allowed to take decisions on notices relating to discrepancies instead of the process being determined entirely through the software.

The request also sought an option to exempt voters from personal hearings when EROs are satisfied with the documents submitted, PTI reported. TOI reported that, under the revised guidelines, voters issued notices over unmapped entries or logical discrepancies do not need to appear in person. Booth-level officers will collect supporting documents and upload them on ECINET for EROs to examine, while hearings will be held only in exceptional cases and, wherever possible, online.


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“People do not have to attend hearings. It is enough to submit the required documents,” Chockalingam said, according to TOI.

The change was sought amid the large volume of notices generated during the SIR. PTI reported that enumeration forms of 2.07 crore voters in Maharashtra could not be collected or were marked as absent, deceased, shifted or duplicate entries. The letter also flagged logical discrepancies such as mismatches in voters' parents' names or age details.

TOI reported that 1.22 crore notices have been generated across Maharashtra, covering 62.48 lakh logical discrepancies and 59.75 lakh unmapped electors. Pune alone accounts for 13.32 lakh flagged cases, including 7.54 lakh unmapped entries and 5.78 lakh logical discrepancies.

On the first day of hearings, several voters in Pune reportedly arrived at SIR centres believing that personal attendance was mandatory. However, an ERO told TOI that no hearings were conducted under the revised guidelines on the first day, with officials instead collecting documents for scrutiny. Documents can also be submitted through BLOs, directly to election officials or through messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, the official said.

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The Maharashtra CEO's office had cited Rule 20(3) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, in its September 24 communication to the ECI. The rule allows EROs to decide whether an elector's personal appearance is necessary, TOI reported. The state proposed an “exempted from hearing” option on ECINET for cases where submitted documents were sufficient.

The Congress has, however, linked the ECINet issue to its broader criticism of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. In a post on X, the party alleged that Chockalingam's request showed that EROs, rather than ECINet, should have the authority to decide electoral-roll discrepancies. Congress also claimed that the Maharashtra CEO had sought four changes: an option to waive hearings when adequate documents are submitted; acceptance of documents beyond the 13 specified documents; greater discretion for EROs to decide irregularities without referring every case to district officials; and removal of a requirement to separately upload the old SIR list in every case.

These additional details are claims made by Congress in its X post.

Congress also invoked earlier reports concerning Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, alleging that they had raised objections to aspects of the ECI's SIR-related decisions. PTI reported that the two commissioners had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months to decisions and orders concerning the SIR, with some objections stating that orders had been issued without their knowledge.

The Congress has alleged that the statutory powers of EROs to determine voter eligibility were being diluted through ECINet. Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe claimed that the authority to decide who qualifies as a voter rests with the ERO and alleged that these powers were being taken away through the software.

The party has also accused Gyanesh Kumar of taking unilateral decisions favouring the ruling establishment and has demanded action against him. In its X post, Congress went further and called for Kumar's resignation, describing it as the only remaining course of action. These are political allegations and demands by Congress, rather than findings established by the Election Commission or the reports cited above.

According to TOI, disposal of cases must be completed by November 10 and the final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on November 16. District election authorities have also been directed to establish help desks and special camps for vulnerable groups, including labourers, homeless people and residents of night shelters.

(With inputs from agencies)