Two Election Commissioners Raised 14 Objections to ECI Decisions in 10 Months, Report Says; EC Says Decisions Were Unanimous

New Delhi: Two of India’s three Election Commissioners formally objected at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions taken by the Election Commission without their knowledge or approval, according to an investigation by The Indian Express. The objections were raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.

The reported disagreements centre on the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The exercise, which began in Bihar in June 2025, has struck more than 13 crore names from draft voter rolls across 30 states and Union territories. The process has triggered widespread political and legal scrutiny over the deletion and restoration of voters’ names.

According to the report, Sandhu and Joshi complained that key decisions involving voter registration, roll deletions, appeals and the management of electoral databases were being taken without the participation of the full three-member Commission. They reportedly lodged four objections on a single day.

One dispute concerned Form 6, the application used by citizens seeking registration as new voters. The form was changed to ask whether the applicant or their parents or grandparents appeared on the electoral roll from the previous SIR. Joshi had earlier warned that such a change could not be made without amending the rules. Sandhu later described it as “unauthorised and illegal” and called for its immediate removal.

The Commissioners also raised concerns about what Joshi called the “gradual centralisation” of the electoral-roll database. They questioned whether state-level officials and Electoral Registration Officers retained complete access to the software used to maintain voter lists and why there are reports that they don't have porper and complete access. Sandhu reportedly said that the Election Commission’s IT division had no legal authority to restrict access granted to statutory officials.

In West Bengal, Sandhu questioned who authorised appeals against voters whom judicial officers had included in the rolls. The Commission has told the Supreme Court that 38 lakh appeals are pending before tribunals, including 22.21 lakh filed by deleted voters seeking restoration. Concerning appeals against orders restoring voters in West Bengal, Sandhu reportedly questioned the authority under which the appeals were filed, asking who had authorised them and on whose behalf they were submitted.

Software problems also affected 97 voters in Goa. Although local officers found them eligible after reviewing their documents, the system did not allow their names to be restored before the final roll was published.

The disagreements have raised questions about the functioning of the Commission under Article 324 of the Constitution and the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, which requires its business to be conducted unanimously as far as possible possible.

Following the report, the Election Commission on Wednesday said its decisions on the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls were unanimous.