ECI's ECINET Portal Now Features Aadhaar E-Sign for Enhanced Voter Roll Integrity

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has made a major addition to voter registration and authentication process with the introduction of Aadhaar-based e-sign verification on its ECINET portal and mobile application in September 2025. The new feature will help stem electoral malpractice and enhance the precision and security of voter roll management, bolstering the purity of India's democratic process.

ECINET: A Unified Election Management Platform

ECINET is a unified digital platform that brings together more than 40 of the prior Election Commission mobile and web apps. Rolled out during the June 2025 Kerala, Gujarat, Punjab, and West Bengal by-elections, ECINET has automated election workflows, enabling quicker, more efficient handling and processing of data. It consolidated several dispersed platforms into a single system to ease operations for election officials and improve transparency for citizens.

Aadhaar-Based E-Sign Verification: The New Norm

The recently launched Aadhaar-based e-sign verification requires applicants who want to add, remove, or correct voter data on the electoral rolls to authenticate themselves through their Aadhaar number, which is linked to their mobile phone. 

As soon as an application is filled in on the ECINET portal, the applicant is redirected to a secure portal of the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), where he/she fills in his/her Aadhaar details and provides a one-time password (OTP) on his/her registered mobile number. The verification is done only after the applicant agrees to Aadhaar authentication, thereby ensuring the authenticity of the applicant and not allowing any unauthorized modifications.

Overcoming Earlier System Inefficiencies and Issues of Fraud

Earlier, forms 6, 7, and 8 were allowed to be submitted by associating a phone number with an existing Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) number but without any provision to check the applicant's actual identity. 

This loophole resulted in loopholes, including the erasure of almost 6,000 Karnataka's Aland Assembly constituency voters through fake form submissions, which were under investigation by the Karnataka CID. The Aadhaar e-signing approach means a direct opposition to such fraud and misuse by connecting alterations with proven Aadhaar credentials. 

Impact on Election Management

With ECINET operational, presiding officers now directly upload final voter turnout counts from polling stations before departing, minimizing human errors and delays. This has allowed the Election Commission to offer public access to trends in voter turnout within 72 hours of election outcomes, thereby increasing transparency and voter trust.

The Election Commission is going to introduce ECINET in its complete form across the country very shortly. Aadhaar-based e-sign verification integration is an important step towards ensuring electoral processes are secured, fraudulent manipulation avoided, and voter roll credibility improved.