Election Commission Shows United Front Amid SIR Row – CEC and Two ECs Meet at Nirvachan Sadan
New Delhi: In a bid to blunt reports of internal dissent, the Election Commission of India held a full Commission meeting at Nirvachan Sadan in New Delhi on Saturday afternoon.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi met at 3 pm on September 26, the poll body said in a press release. A photo of the three sitting together at a table was also released with the statement.
The meeting came amid a row over a media report that claimed Sandhu and Joshi had raised objections on several occasions to decisions and orders related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
EC Issues Point-by-Point Clarification
Following the meeting, the Commission issued a detailed clarification and asserted that key decisions, including the SIR, were taken unanimously by the full commission.
Key points from the clarification:
1. On Form 6: Questions were raised over a declaration attached to Form 6 during the SIR process, asking prospective voters to map to the previous SIR via their parents’ names. The Commission said the declaration was upheld by the Supreme Court.
2. On ECINET Portal: Concerns were raised over access to the electoral-roll database. The Commission said field officers have role-based access according to their statutory powers and announced a review of ECINET by a committee headed by a Senior Deputy Election Commissioner and including an independent expert from an IIT or IIIT.
3. On Letter to Cabinet Secretary: The Commission said the letter reportedly written by Sandhu and Joshi was not related to any policy matter of the EC or its IT division, but to the functioning of an officer on deputation to the EC.
4. On SIR Order: The June 24, 2025, order launching the SIR exercise across states and UTs was issued with the unanimous approval of the commission.
5. On Goa Voters Case: On the issue of 97 voters in Goa left out of rolls, the Commission said the Goa Chief Electoral Officer had directed Booth Level Officers to conduct house-to-house visits, and 81 had already filled Form 6 for inclusion.
Internal Reforms and Deadline Extension
The poll body also announced measures to strengthen its internal functioning. Agendas for all Commission meetings will now be circulated in advance and minutes will be issued.
The deadline for filing claims and objections under the SIR process was also extended. For Delhi, the deadline has been extended to October 30 with disposal target to November 30. In Maharashtra, the corresponding deadlines were extended to October 12 and November 10.
The controversy has taken a political turn, with Opposition parties citing the reported objections to question the functioning of the Commission and demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s ouster. The Commission, however, sought to draw a distinction between internal deliberations and formal decisions, maintaining that its major decisions were taken collectively and unanimously.