Overview
- An Indian Express investigation reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi formally recorded at least 14 written objections over about ten months to decisions tied to the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision and changes to Form 6.
- The disclosures prompted the Congress and allied groups to stage nationwide protests on Friday demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation or arrest, and police in several cities detained demonstrators and used water cannon to disperse crowds.
- The Election Commission has rejected the idea of a break within the three-member body, saying written observations are routine, that its final orders were unanimous, and that its SIR decisions followed statutory procedure.
- At the heart of the dispute is the SIR exercise, which the investigation said led to roughly 13 crore names being struck from draft rolls across many states but which the ECI says remains subject to claims, objections and verification before any final deletions.
- The row has pushed opposition parties to prepare parliamentary removal motions, prompted some ruling-alliance allies to demand clearer ECI explanations, and raised the prospect of court cases, independent audits or a temporary halt to parts of the SIR process.