New Delhi: A report of repeated objections by two Election Commissioners to decisions taken within the poll panel has triggered a political confrontation, with Opposition leaders calling for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and seeking an independent probe into the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The controversy follows an investigation by The Indian Express, which reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi formally recorded objections at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions and orders they said were taken without their knowledge. The reported objections covered voter registration, deletion and restoration of names, appeals relating to electoral rolls and access to the systems used to maintain voter data.
The report has particular significance amid the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which began in Bihar in June 2025 and has subsequently been extended to several States and Union Territories.
One reported disagreement concerned Form 6, used for registration of new voters. According to the investigation, Joshi objected to changes requiring applicants to provide information about whether they, their parents or grandparents appeared in the electoral roll of the previous SIR. Sandhu subsequently backed the objection and reportedly described the change as “unauthorised and illegal”.
The two commissioners also reportedly raised concerns about access and control over ERONet, the digital system used for electoral-roll management. The report cited concerns over whether electoral officials had adequate access to the system and whether changes in the IT architecture were affecting the statutory responsibilities of Electoral Registration Officers.
The reported disagreements have now triggered demands for action against CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal demanded Kumar’s immediate removal and called for a Supreme Court-monitored impartial investigation. In a post on X, Venugopal alleged that the reported developments showed that fellow constitutional officers had been sidelined and said the functioning of the electoral system required scrutiny. His remarks were political allegations and were not independently established by the report.
The Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi levelled it as a “crime against the Indian people and a direct attack on our constitution”.
Congress MP Manish Tewari also questioned the validity of decisions if the procedures governing the Commission had not been followed. He argued that if decisions were neither unanimous nor supported by the required majority, their legality would have to be examined.
Other Opposition leaders joined the demand. Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien called for the revival of a motion seeking Kumar’s removal that had earlier been submitted by Opposition MPs in the Rajya Sabha. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of the reported objections. CPI(M) MP John Brittas also called for Kumar’s removal and sought judicial intervention in the SIR process.
The Election Commission, however, has rejected the suggestion that the reported objections represent a split in the Commission. According to an ECI response cited by Hindustan Times, “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 contrasting positions have put the functioning and decision-making processes of the three-member poll panel under renewed public scrutiny. While the Indian Express investigation has reported multiple written objections by two Election Commissioners, the ECI maintains that its decisions were ultimately unanimous.
The dispute comes at a politically sensitive time as the Election Commission continues the SIR exercise, which has already generated substantial debate over voter registration, deletion of names and the procedures governing electoral rolls.
