The Election Commission of India’s IT platform, ECINET, played a crucial role in ensuring smooth election procedures, real-time monitoring, faster reporting, and improved cybersecurity during the recent Assembly elections in five states and a Union Territory – Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry, along with the by-elections in 2026.
Launched earlier this year, the ECINET platform witnessed a significant increase in users during the recent elections, with an estimated 10 crore downloads of the application on mobile phones. It allows users to access information about their Assembly constituency candidates’ educational backgrounds and criminal records on their mobile devices.
The ECINET app experienced a surge in user engagement on polling and counting days, with over 98.3 crore hits on polling days and an average of 3 crore hits per minute on the counting day of May 4, 2026. The platform’s cybersecurity measures successfully thwarted around 68 lakh malicious hits on the counting day, originating from both domestic and international sources, targeting critical election platforms.
A new QR code-based Photo Identity Card system was implemented for the first time on the counting day across all States/UTs during these elections to enhance security at the counting centers. The ECINET app, the world’s largest electoral service platform, integrates over 40 applications and portals of the Election Commission into a single interface, offering various services to voters, including registration, electoral roll search, application tracking, and grievance redressal.
