A political controversy erupted on Wednesday after The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months, including four times on a single day, over decisions and orders linked to the Election Commission’s functioning, including aspects of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The Election Commission said the reported objections were part of the normal deliberative process and maintained that all key decisions, including those related to the , were taken unanimously by the full Commission. Opposition parties, however, cited the report to question the poll panel’s functioning and demanded the removal of and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
According to the report, “Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected at least 14 times over the last 10 months to decisions taken and orders issued without their knowledge.”
The report said the two commissioners had objected to measures they believed were taken without their knowledge, covering issues such as changes to control of the electoral-roll database, voter deletions and appeals in West Bengal, and the handling of eligible voters in Goa.
Form 6 is used by individuals to apply for registration as new voters. The form was revised in July to incorporate questions related to the SIR. Under the revised form, new applicants were required to state whether their name, or that of a parent or grandparent, featured in the electoral roll prepared during the previous SIR.
The objections were recorded between November 2025 and August 2026 and covered the registration, deletion and restoration of voters, appeals against SIR-related decisions, and the custody and security of electoral-roll data, the report noted.
Sandhu and Joshi reportedly raised concerns over the “gradual centralisation” of the electoral-roll database in Delhi. They separately wrote to Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan over changes in work allocation concerning the IT infrastructure handling electoral rolls, according to the report.
The EC said that operational concerns or suggestions raised by its members during the drafting stage are part of routine administrative procedures intended to protect voters’ rights. It added that the Commissioners’ inputs were aimed at further strengthening and improving the electoral process.
“All official orders, decisions and administrative directions issued by the Commission carry full legal sanctions and follow established statutory procedures under The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023,” the statement said, according to PTI.
It added, “Differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberation in any institution. They are a part of the decision-making process before a final decision is taken. Not only the three Commissioners, but every officer of the Commission is fully authorised to give his suggestions to the Commission for improving the electoral system.”
The SIR is an electoral-roll verification exercise undertaken by the ECI to identify and address discrepancies in voter lists, including duplicate entries, names of deceased voters and voters who have shifted residences. The exercise has triggered a political and legal row over the scale and process of voter deletions, with the provisional rolls in states such as West Bengal and Bihar showing large numbers of names excluded at different stages of the exercise.
Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha cited the report while renewing his allegation of “vote chori” against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), RSS and Election Commission.
“Vote chori is a crime against the Indian people and a direct attack on our Constitution,” Gandhi said on X. He further alleged that the BJP, RSS and EC had “committed an act of treason” and mentioned, “Justice will be served.”
Congress has also demanded action against Kumar.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor also launched a scathing attack on the poll panel, citing the report as evidence of alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Commission.
Kejriwal demanded that Gyanesh Kumar be arrested and prosecuted under sedition provisions. He also called for the recent elections in Delhi, Bihar, West Bengal and Maharashtra to be annulled and fresh polls to be held. He alleged that Kumar had been functioning as the “mastermind” behind electoral manipulation.
“Until now, we used to hear allegations that PM Modi and Amit Shah were winning election after election by stealing votes. However, a story in The Indian Express today has proven that they are winning elections through vote-rigging, with Gyanesh Kumar acting as the mastermind behind it. We demand that Gyanesh Kumar be arrested and prosecuted, and that the elections held in Delhi, Bihar, West Bengal, and Maharashtra be annulled and re-conducted,” he said.
Other opposition parties and their leaders such as Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena (UBT), Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool Congress (TMC) Member of Parliament (MP) Abhishek Banerjee, Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) MP John Brittas and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav also slammed the Election Commission and Kumar, alleging that the Election Commission was seeking to interfere with the electoral process and raising concerns about its implications for democratic institutions.
The BJP on Wednesday said reports of the three election commissioners expressing differing views during official deliberations demonstrate that the Election Commission is operating democratically.
The ruling party also said the report contradicts the opposition’s allegation that the poll panel is “dictatorial”.
“If there is no communication and exchange of views among the election commissioners who conduct polls, the opposition parties would allege ‘dictatorship’ and call them ‘yes men’ of the government,” BJP leader Sambit Patra stated.
Patra added, “This shows that the Election Commission (EC) and all other constitutional bodies are functioning in a democratic manner and upholding the democracy of the country. All opposition parties, who have been calling the EC and the government dictatorial, have fallen into their own trap today.”
