Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Sep 26: The Election Commission (EC) on Saturday reaffirmed that key decisions, including the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, were taken unanimously by the full Commission, amid reports of disagreements among its members over the functioning of the poll panel.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi held a meeting at Nirvachan Sadan in New Delhi at 3 pm on September 26, the commission said in a press release.
The meeting came amid reports that Sandhu and Joshi had raised objections on several occasions to decisions and orders related to the SIR exercise.
The Commission issued a point-by-point clarification on various allegations concerning its functioning and announced changes to certain procedures related to the SIR and its internal operations.
The clarification also addressed a letter reportedly written by Sandhu and Joshi to the Cabinet Secretary, as reported by The Indian Express on September 23.
The reported disagreements covered issues such as changes to Form 6 used for new voter enrolment, the functioning of the ECINET online system, the redistribution of work in the IT division, appeals related to the West Bengal SIR and the handling of cases involving voters in Goa.
On the Form 6 issue, questions had been raised over a declaration requiring prospective voters to link themselves to the previous SIR through their parents' names. The commission said the declaration had been upheld by the Supreme Court. It added that outside the SIR period, forms prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, would be used.
Regarding ECINET, concerns had been raised over access to the electoral roll database and the functioning of the portal. The commission said field officers had role-based access in accordance with their statutory powers.
It also announced a review of ECINET by a committee headed by a senior deputy election commissioner, with an independent expert from an IIT or IIIT as a member. The commission said additional flexibility required by field officers would also be made operational.
All new initiatives involving IT modules and portals will be discussed by the committee of officers before being placed before the commission for approval, it said.
On the redistribution of work involving an officer on deputation to the EC, the commission said the letter to the Cabinet secretary was not related to any policy matter concerning the commission or its IT division, but to the functioning of the officer.
It added that the orders on redistribution of work had not been implemented following directions from the two commissioners and that oversight of the IT division by a deputy election commissioner had never been withdrawn.
Regarding the SIR, the Commission said the June 24, 2025, order launching the exercise across states and Union Territories had been issued with the unanimous approval of the Commission. It said subsequent schedules were also approved unanimously and noted that the Supreme Court had upheld the original order.
The Commission also addressed the case of 97 voters in Goa who had been left out of the electoral rolls. It said the Goa Chief Electoral Officer had directed Booth Level Officers to conduct house-to-house visits and collect their forms. Of the 97 voters, 81 had already submitted Form 6 for inclusion.
As part of measures to strengthen internal functioning, the commission said agendas for all meetings would be circulated in advance and minutes would be issued. It also stated that directions issued by commissioners to officials would be implemented meticulously.
The deadline for filing claims and objections in Delhi under the SIR process has been extended to October 30, while the deadline for disposal of claims and objections has been extended to November 30.
In Maharashtra, the corresponding deadlines have been extended to October 12 and November 10, respectively.
The controversy has drawn criticism from Opposition parties, which have cited the reported objections by Joshi and Sandhu to question the functioning of the commission and demanded the removal of Gyanesh Kumar.
The dispute has also become part of the broader political debate over the SIR, with Opposition parties seeking greater transparency from the poll panel.
The Commission's latest statement sought to distinguish between internal deliberations and formal decisions, maintaining that major decisions, including the SIR, were taken collectively and unanimously.