Overview
- The Election Commission on September 26 issued a joint statement saying all Special Intensive Revision decisions were taken unanimously and announced remedial steps including home visits by booth officers, help desks and extensions for claims and objections.
- An Indian Express investigation that reported Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded at least 14 formal objections over SIR procedures triggered the political outcry that led to the ECI clarification.
- Opposition parties in the INDIA bloc have rejected the ECI note, are meeting in New Delhi on September 30 to plan a joint response and are preparing nationwide protests starting October 2 while demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation or removal.
- The SIR process has produced large deletions and legal work: West Bengal saw 27.16 lakh names removed and the ECI told the Supreme Court that more than 22 lakh of those electors have appealed for restoration, leaving many voters under adjudication and reliant on appellate tribunals.
- Political reactions split along party lines with BJP and state leaders defending the poll panel and calling the allegations baseless while opposition and left parties say the ECI note does not answer legal and procedural questions about Form 6 changes, ECINET access and appeal backlogs.