ECI-NET: A Landmark First Step by the Election Commission of India

Mumbai : The Election Commission of India (ECI) has successfully launched its new “one-stop” digital platform ECI-NET (ECINET) during the recently concluded by-elections in five assembly constituencies across Kerala, Gujarat, Punjab, and West Bengal. This marked the first implementation of the platform, achieving the remarkable feat of publishing Election Index Cards within just 72 hours.

Developed under the leadership of Chief Election Commissioner Dyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi, ECINET represents a next-generation technological advancement. The platform integrates over 40 previous web and mobile applications of the Election Commission. All modules are expected to be fully functional in the coming weeks.

Rapid Reporting of Voter Turnout

During the by-elections, Presiding Officers (PROs) uploaded Voter Turnout Ratio (VTR) trends directly from polling booths to ECINET. This eliminated delays caused by the older paper-based system, allowing data to be released swiftly and transparently. PROs were required to upload final VTR figures before leaving the booth, giving citizens near real-time access to estimated voter turnout during polling hours.

Digital Index Cards in Record Time

Following the Commission’s decision announced on June 5, the process of generating Election Index Cards has been completely digitized through ECINET. Most of the data fields are now auto-filled, replacing the earlier manual and time-consuming data entry and verification, which previously took weeks or even months.

The Election Index Card, introduced in the 1980s, is a vital statistical document that provides multidimensional information on voter demographics, candidate and party-wise vote distribution, gender-based voting patterns, and regional trends. It is now accessible to researchers, media, and the public under the ‘bye-elections’ tab at:
👉 https://www.eci.gov.in/statistical-reports/

A New Standard for Elections

With the implementation of ECINET, the ECI has set new standards in time efficiency, streamlined operations, and data transparency. The Commission has stated in an official release that all features of this platform will be used to their full capacity in upcoming elections.