Election Commission sources reject report of internal disquiet: ‘SIR, all other decisions unanimous’

All decisions taken by the Election Commission (EC), including the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, had the approval of all three election commissioners, EC sources told HT on Wednesday.Chief Election Commissioner of India, Gyanesh Kumar. (HT File Photo)The clarification followed an Indian Express report that said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi recorded objections to decisions taken in the commission’s name at least 14 times over 10 months. Four such objections were made on the same day, the report said.The reported disagreements involved changes to Form 6, the centralisation of ERONet controls in Delhi, voter deletion appeals in West Bengal and the failure to add some eligible voters to the electoral rolls in Goa.ALSO READ | ‘Gyanesh Kumar is enemy of India’: CJP's Abhijeet Dipke on report over EC internal riftThe EC sources said the decisions were unanimous and had the approval of both Election Commissioners and the chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.“All decisions of the Election Commission of India, including SIR, have been unanimous and with the approval of both the Election Commissioners and the Chief Election Commissioner,” the statement to HT read.Among the specific instances cited, Joshi warned that Form 6 for new voters could not be changed in the proposed manner without amending the rules, but the change was carried out regardless, following which Sandhu called it “unauthorised and illegal.”Joshi also reportedly flagged the "gradual centralisation" of the electoral-roll database and proposed an audit to ensure that only statutory authorities could alter voter records.ALSO READ | ‘Notices going almost mechanically’: CJI-led bench asks EC to address SIR concerns among votersWhat the report saidThe Indian Express investigation claimed to have examined written objections recorded by Sandhu and Joshi between November 2025 and August 2026.The objections covered some of the most important parts of the voter registration process. These included adding new voters, removing names from voter lists, maintaining the voter database and filing appeals against decisions on voters.The report said the two commissioners questioned whether some decisions and orders were issued without their knowledge. The objections were also copied to CEC Gyanesh Kumar, according to the report.Form 6 issuesForm 6 is the application that a person uses to register as a new voter. In July, the form was changed to include questions connected to the SIR.New applicants were asked whether their own name, or the name of a parent or grandparent, appeared in the electoral roll from the previous SIR.The applicant had to answer the question before submitting the form. The Indian Express reported that Vivek Joshi had objected to this change in May. He said Form 6 was prescribed under the electoral rules and could not be changed without amending those rules. Sandhu later supported the objection. The report said the question remained on the form until September 21.ALSO READ | ‘Invisible hand’: Opposition questions EC after report on commissioners’ SIR concernsWest Bengal, Goa issuesIn West Bengal, Sandhu questioned who authorised appeals seeking the deletion of voters whose names had been retained after judicial scrutiny.In Goa, 97 voters were found eligible by Electoral Registration Officers but could not be added to the final roll because the software did not allow officials to record their decisions, according to the report.The two commissioners also separately approached the Cabinet Secretary over changes involving the EC's IT systems, the report said.Questions over voter data controlThe two commissioners also raised questions about who could access and change voter data. The EC uses digital systems to maintain voter lists. ERONet is used for electoral-roll work, while ECINet is a newer platform that brings together several election-related services.According to investigation, Joshi suggested an audit to ensure that only authorised officials could make changes to voter records. Sandhu raised similar concerns in August. He said some state election officials did not have “proper and complete access” to ERONet.Letter to Cabinet Secretary?Sandhu and Joshi separately wrote to Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan about changes in the EC's IT work, as per the report. They were concerned that the changes could reduce oversight of the systems used to manage voter lists.The two commissioners said the changes were made without their knowledge, according to the report. The order was later set aside, and the earlier arrangement was restored until the Commission could agree on any changes.The report triggered criticism from opposition leaders, including DMK's TKS Elangovan, AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj, Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Sanjay Raut and CPI(M)'s John Brittas.