Election Commission Says ECINET Supported General Elections and Bye-Elections 2026 on 6 May 2026; Platform Crossed 10 Crore Downloads and Countered 68 Lakh Malicious Counting-Day Hits

The Election Commission said on 6 May 2026 that its IT platform ECINET played a central role in the General Elections to Legislative Assemblies and Bye-elections 2026. The Commission linked the platform with streamlined election processes, real-time monitoring, faster reporting and improved transparency during the election cycle. ECINET was officially launched in January 2026 and has crossed 10 crore downloads, while its beta version had been used in the Bihar elections in November 2025. The release highlighted the scale of election-time digital traffic handled by the platform. On polling days, namely 9 April, 23 April and 29 April 2026, ECINET recorded more than 98.3 crore hits. On counting day, 4 May 2026, the platform recorded an average of 3 crore hits per minute. The Commission also said ECINET’s cybersecurity protocols effectively countered more than 68 lakh malicious hits on counting day. These attempts originated from within India and overseas and targeted key election platforms, including the results portal. The release underlined a new security measure at counting centres: a QR code-based Photo Identity Card system was used for the first time across all States and Union Territories in these elections through ECINET. More than 3.2 lakh QR codes were generated on counting day to ensure that only authorised personnel could access counting venues and to prevent unauthorised entry. For exam purposes, the development is significant because it shows the Election Commission’s movement towards technology-supported electoral administration, combining operational efficiency, voter-information traffic handling, counting-centre access control and cybersecurity during high-pressure election events.