Opposition Targets ECI Over SIR Row
Parties demand answers after report says two Election Commissioners raised objections to poll panel decisions
- Report says Sandhu and Joshi raised objections at least 14 times.
- Dispute includes Form 6 changes and electoral-roll database access.
- Opposition leaders have demanded action against the CEC.
- Sources cited by NDTV say no formal dissent was recorded.
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 23rd Sept: Leaders of Opposition parties have stepped up their criticism of the Election Commission of India (ECI) following an Indian Express report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections on record at least 14 times over a 10-month period to decisions concerning electoral-roll management and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
The report said the objections covered issues including voter registration, deletion and restoration of names, changes to Form 6, appeals against decisions taken during the SIR process and access to the electoral-roll database. It also reported that the two commissioners had raised concerns about the centralisation of electoral-roll data and certain decisions allegedly taken without their knowledge.
However, people with direct knowledge of the matter told NDTV that the two Election Commissioners had not recorded any formal dissent. According to those sources, they had made observations on certain matters, which the Commission considered. Sources also said that decisions taken by the ECI carry the signatures of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
An official familiar with the matter said that decisions relating to the SIR, like other ECI decisions, had been taken with the approval of all three commissioners.
The ECI’s decision-making framework provides for majority decisions where the commissioners differ, while its business is generally conducted unanimously.
Form 6 changes under scrutiny
One of the issues highlighted in the Indian Express report concerns changes to Form 6, which is used by citizens to apply for inclusion in the electoral roll.
According to the report, the revised form included questions linked to the previous SIR electoral roll, asking new applicants whether their name, or that of a parent or grandparent, appeared in an earlier SIR roll. The report said Vivek Joshi had raised concerns in May that the form could not be changed in that manner without an amendment to the relevant rules.
Sukhbir Singh Sandhu subsequently recorded an objection describing the changes as “unauthorised and illegal” and called for their removal, according to the report.
Concerns over electoral-roll database
The report also detailed concerns attributed to the two commissioners regarding access to the electoral-roll management system.
According to the Indian Express, Sandhu and Joshi raised questions over the alleged centralisation of access to the electoral-roll database and its implications for Electoral Registration Officers and other statutory officials responsible for maintaining voter rolls.
The report said the two commissioners separately wrote to Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan after changes in the allocation of responsibilities within the ECI’s administration and IT divisions. They subsequently set aside the disputed work-allocation order and directed that the earlier arrangement continue until the Commission reached a consensus.
The report also said Sandhu had raised concerns that some electoral officials did not have complete access to the roll-management system and argued that their statutory functions should not be restricted by centralised IT controls.
Opposition steps up attack
The developments triggered strong reactions from Opposition leaders.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut criticised Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and said the reported allegations, if established, would raise serious questions about the conduct of the poll panel.
Congress leader Manish Tewari called for consideration of impeachment proceedings against the CEC and questioned how the Election Commission’s credibility could be restored.
Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien referred to an earlier move by more than 60 Rajya Sabha MPs seeking action against Gyanesh Kumar and called for the motion to be brought forward again.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also criticised the Election Commission over the reported objections, alleging that the developments represented a threat to democratic processes.
DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai criticised the implementation of the SIR exercise, saying that questions were being raised over voter names appearing in draft rolls but subsequently being subjected to scrutiny.
These statements represent the respective Opposition leaders’ political positions and allegations.
SIR remains at centre of dispute
The latest controversy has added another dimension to the continuing political dispute over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
The SIR began in Bihar in June 2025 and has subsequently been expanded to other States and Union Territories. The Indian Express reported that more than 13 crore names had been struck off draft rolls across 30 States and Union Territories during the process.
In West Bengal, the ECI recently told the Supreme Court that 27.16 lakh voters had been removed during the SIR process, while more than 22 lakh of them had filed appeals seeking reinstatement. The Commission said a total of 38.31 lakh appeals had been filed, including petitions seeking both inclusion and deletion of names.
The Election Commission has maintained that the electoral-roll revision process is intended to identify and address discrepancies and ensure the accuracy of voter lists.
The latest row, meanwhile, centres on competing accounts of how the three-member Commission handled internal observations and objections concerning electoral-roll management, SIR procedures and its technology systems.
