Election Commission to showcase its all-in-one app to State Election Commissions, with offer of developing version for them

The Election Commission is likely to showcase its all-in-one ECINET app to State Election Commissions (SECs) this month, with the offer of developing versions for them as well, EC sources said. The EC had on February 4 announced that it will host a national conference of State Election Commissioners in the Capital on February 24. The last such conference was held in 1999, it said. On the agenda are “discussion sessions on electoral laws on elector eligibility of the States/UTs, technological interventions spearheaded by the EC such as the recently launched ECINET digital platform and EVMs amongst other topics”, the EC had said. The sources said a presentation on the ECINET app, which brings together the EC’s separate apps for voters, officers and candidates on one platform, has been planned for the SECs during the conference. The EC will offer help to the SECs to develop a similar platform for them, they said. The app allows users to fill electoral registration forms and officers to process those applications. It also provides real-time data of voter turnout during polling and results on the day of counting of votes. Earlier, all these services were offered on separate apps of the EC. The beta version was launched last year ahead of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and Assembly elections in Bihar. The ECINET app was officially launched by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during the EC’s international conference here on January 22. At the conference, the CEC offered to help the heads of other election management bodies in developing a similar platform for their countries in their respective languages. The app was also used for the ongoing SIR in 12 States/UTs, where for the first time centrally generated notices were sent to electoral registration officers (EROs) via their log-ins on the ECINET/ERONET portal to hand over to electors. The CEC said the app had been used to digitise 150 crore documents during the SIR exercise, where all registered electors were asked to submit enumeration forms and documents in order to prove their eligibility. While the Election Commission conducts elections to the offices of President and Vice-President, Parliament, State Assemblies and State Legislative Councils, the SECs conduct panchayat and municipal corporation elections in their respective states. The EC and SECs work independently of each other, with different methods and rules for polling and preparation of electoral rolls. The EC’s conference comes at a time when two Bills providing for simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies are pending before Parliament. A government-appointed high-level committee under former President Ram Nath Kovind had recommended in 2024 that elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies should be synchronised first and in the second phase, local body elections should be held within 100 days of that. The Bills brought by the government in December 2024, however, did not make provisions for including local body elections in the simultaneous polls for now. Damini Nath is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. She covers the housing and urban affairs and Election Commission beats. She has 11 years of experience as a reporter and sub-editor. Before joining The Indian Express in 2022, she was a reporter with The Hindu’s national bureau covering culture, social justice, housing and urban affairs and the Election Commission. Expertise Key Coverage Areas: Damini Nath currently specializes in reporting on two crucial beats: Housing and Urban Affairs: Providing in-depth analysis and reporting on India's urban development, policy, and housing issues. Election Commission (EC): Offering authoritative coverage of electoral processes, policies, and the functioning of India's constitutional body responsible for conducting elections. Professional Background: Her extensive experience includes roles as a reporter and sub-editor, demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the journalistic process from fieldwork to final production. Previous Role: Before joining The Indian Express in 2022, she served as a dedicated reporter with The Hindu’s national bureau, where her reporting portfolio included: Culture Social Justice Housing and Urban Affairs The Election Commission beat (a consistent area of focus). Trustworthiness Damini Nath's decade-plus career at two of India's most respected and authoritative news institutions, The Indian Express and The Hindu, underscores her commitment to factual, impartial, and high-quality reporting, establishing her as a trusted and credible source for news on urban governance and electoral matters. ... Read More