The 2026 Assembly elections created a massive surge in cyberattacks on the Election Commission's (EC) official website, ECINET, the electoral body said on Wednesday.
According to the EC, there was a sharp spike in the attacks on the vote counting day (May 4), on which more than 68 lakh "malicious hits" were recorded, both within India and outside.
However, its statement said that these attacks, which targeted key election platforms including the results portal, were effectively countered by the EC's cybersecurity protocols.
Polling for the recently concluded Assembly elections took place across 823 constituencies in Kerala, Assam, West Bengal, Puducherry, and Tamil Nadu on April 9, 23 and 29.
All that remains is one constituency—Falta—for which repolling will take place on May 21, and the results will be announced on May 24.
The EC also notified that ECINET—the poll body's digital platform that assimilates more than 40 different applications—had played an important role in streamlining the election process by means of better real-time updates, and enhancing transparency.
The platform recorded over 98.3 crore hits on the polling days—April 9, 23, and 29—which surged to an average of 3 crore hits per minute on the vote counting day (May 4).
The EC also pointed out that its new QR-code-based Photo Identity Card system was used "through ECINET", and claimed the new method had proven effective in enhancing security at counting centres across the four states and one Union Territory (UT) that were going to the polls.
"On counting day, over 3.2 lakh QR codes were generated to ensure that only authorised personnel could access counting venues, thereby preventing any unauthorised entry in the Counting Centres," the EC added in the statement.
This system is now set to be a standard part of all upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.