Differences normal, dissent report shows only part of picture: ECI amid SIR row

The Election Commission said differing views and comments were a normal part of discussions after an explosive Indian Express report indicated critical problems within the poll body over the SIR process.Election Commissioners SS Sandhu and Vivek Joshi with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh KumarThe Election Commission said that "differing views" were a normal part of deliberation after an Indian Express investigation found that two of the three Election Commissioners objected to various aspects of the SIR exercise. In its first statement on the explosive report that indicated critical problems within the poll body, the ECI stressed that it presented "only one part of the picture". The statement, significantly, was signed by all three Election Commission members.The ECI comprises two Election Commissioners - Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi - with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. The report claimed that Sandhu and Joshi formally objected 14 times to various aspects of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls over the past 10 months.WHAT ELECTION COMMISSION SAID ON DISSENT REPORT?"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," the ECI statement said."Written notes, observations, technical suggestions and internal checks-and-balances are standard, ongoing practices designed to ensure complete transparency, legal compliance and operational rigour," it further said. The Express report revealed that the two Election Commissioners objected to aspects like new voter registration, deletion and restoration of voters in the rolls, and filing of appeals against orders restoring voters in the SIR process.The SIR exercise to weed out ineligible voters, which began in June last year, has led to over 13 crore names being deleted from the draft voter rolls in 30 states and Union Territories so far. In its statement, the ECI underlined that the "suggestions" given by the commissioners were for further improving the electoral processes."Any operational queries or inputs raised by Commission members during draft stages are part of standard administrative practice aimed at safeguarding voter rights," it stated.- EndsPublished By: Koustav DasPublished On: Sep 23, 2026 14:13 IST