Congress leader accuses Election Commission IT chief of voter-list data centralisation
Ajoy Kumar filed a police complaint alleging Election Commission IT director Seema Khanna unlawfully centralized electoral data and removed large numbers of voters from the rolls.
On October 3, Congress leader and former IPS officer Ajoy Kumar submitted a police complaint in Jamshedpur alleging that Election Commission of India Director General (IT) Seema Khanya carried out unauthorised centralisation of electoral data through the ECINet and ERONet platforms, stripping local Electoral Registration Officers of their authority. The complaint claims that the software was used to delete the names of at least two lakh voters, describing the act as a direct assault on democracy.
It lists five offences, invoking sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita concerning cheating and forgery, and sections of the Information Technology Act related to breach of confidentiality. Kumar also accuses Khanna of employing Tata Consultancy Services to circumvent administrative channels and alter registration forms. He has asked police to register an FIR, investigate the ECI-TCS chain of command, and preserve digital audit logs, while urging party units in several states to file similar actions. The Election Commission has not issued a comment, and Khanna previously said the new platform would improve transparency.
Why it matters
The allegation raises concerns about the integrity of India's voter rolls and the transparency of election-management technology.
How this story developed
- Sep 23 Election Commission denies internal dissent, says all decisions were unanimous
- Sep 23 Congress senior filed a petition urging the Supreme Court to intervene and summon the Election Commission members.
- Sep 25 A Supreme Court petition seeking criminal prosecution of the chief election commissioner was filed.
- Sep 26 The Election Commission announced that Booth Level Officers will visit voters flagged in the SIR to collect supporting documents, with online hearings and additional help desks to be established.
- Sep 27 Opposition parties announced nationwide rallies and a parliamentary motion to force the CEC’s resignation following the removal of over 130 million voter names.
- Oct 2 The Cockroach Janata Party and a coalition of student activists will protest in Mumbai and New Delhi, calling for Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to step down over disputed voter-list changes.
- Oct 2 The Supreme Court agreed to hear a petition questioning the Election Commission’s decision‑making next week.
- Oct 5 Delhi police deployed roughly 5,000 officers and paramilitary units ahead of two anti‑CEC marches.
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