Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi formally raised objections at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions and orders related to electoral rolls that they said were issued without their knowledge or approval, The Indian Express reported on Wednesday.
The objections covered key issues linked to the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR), including voter registration, deletion and restoration of names, appeals against voter inclusion, changes to Form 6 and the management of the voter database.
The Election Commission, however, said on Wednesday that all its decisions, including those related to SIR, had been taken unanimously with the approval of all three commissioners. It also said that differing views raised during internal deliberations were part of normal administrative practice.
Objections Over Voter Registration and Deletions
The SIR exercise began in Bihar in June 2025 and has since expanded to other states and Union Territories. According to The Indian Express, more than 13 crore names have been removed from draft electoral rolls during the exercise so far.
Sandhu and Joshi reportedly objected to decisions concerning the registration of new voters, deletion and restoration of names and appeals filed during the revision process.
In one written objection, Sandhu said the Commission had acted against the written advice of both commissioners and described the action as “unauthorised and illegal”, according to the report.
The objections were reportedly copied to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, while some were also sent to deputy election commissioners.
Dispute Over Form 6
One major point of disagreement concerned Form 6, which is used by new voters to apply for registration.
The Commission introduced a declaration linked to the previous SIR in the online version of the form. New applicants were asked whether their own name, or that of a parent or grandparent, appeared in the electoral roll from the previous SIR.
Joshi had reportedly objected in May, saying the statutory form could not be changed without amending the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. Sandhu later agreed with him.
On August 13, Sandhu reportedly described the change as “unauthorised and illegal” and called for its immediate removal.
Concerns Over Centralisation of Voter Database
The two commissioners also raised concerns over what they described as the “gradual centralisation” of the electoral roll database in Delhi.
They reportedly questioned whether state level election officials were being given adequate access to the systems used to maintain voter rolls.
In one instance, Sandhu and Joshi separately wrote to the Cabinet Secretary over changes in the allocation of work related to the IT infrastructure handling electoral rolls.
The objections also covered software related problems in Goa. According to the report, local officials were unable to record their decisions on the eligibility of 97 voters because of restrictions in the software.
Election Commission Says Decisions Were Unanimous
The Election Commission responded to the report by saying that operational queries and inputs raised by its members during the draft stage were part of the normal decision making process.
“Differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberation in any institution,” the Commission said.
It added that focusing on internal notes recorded over 10 months, while ignoring the larger body of approvals, decisions and instructions, presented only “one part of the picture”.
The Commission later stated that all decisions related to SIR had been unanimous and approved by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and both Election Commissioners.
What the Law Says
The Election Commission is a three member constitutional body under Article 324 of the Constitution.
Under the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, the Commission is required to conduct its business unanimously as far as possible. Where there is a difference of opinion, the matter is decided by majority.
The report said the three commissioners held their first full meeting in four months on September 9, following the latest objections raised by Sandhu and Joshi.
