Election Commission's Internal Disputes: What You Need to Know About the Voter Roll Cleanup

Concerns Raised by Election Commissioners

New Delhi: Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi have raised several concerns regarding the removal of names from voter lists across different states during the ongoing cleanup process. However, officials from the Election Commission have stated that all decisions regarding the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters' list were made unanimously.

These comments come in response to a media report indicating that the two commissioners had expressed objections to the Election Commission's actions 14 times over the past ten months during the SIR.

In response to inquiries, officials confirmed that Sandhu and Joshi had highlighted issues related to the deletion of names and the management of the voter database during the cleanup.

Sources within the Election Commission emphasized that all decisions, including those related to the SIR, were made with the consensus of both Election Commissioners and the Chief Election Commissioner.

The governing laws of the Election Commission, along with a Supreme Court ruling, stress the importance of unanimous decision-making, although majority opinions can prevail when necessary.

According to a report from a prominent English daily, there have been repeated concerns raised by Sandhu and Joshi regarding the SIR process within the three-member Election Commission.

While the national implementation of the SIR has been overseen by all three commissioners, Sandhu and Joshi have formally objected on record at least 14 times in the last ten months, including four objections on a single day, regarding decisions made without their awareness.

Opposition parties have criticized the Election Commission over the SIR, alleging that it is designed to disenfranchise voters who do not support the BJP and its allies.