EC sources reject report of internal rift, say all decisions including SIR were unanimous

New Delhi, Sep 23 (UNI) Election Commission sources on Wednesday rejected suggestions of an internal rift within the poll panel following an Indian Express investigation that reported repeated objections by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi to decisions concerning electoral rolls, voter registration and the Commission's technology systems.

Responding to the report, EC sources said that all decisions taken by the Election Commission of India, including those relating to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, had been unanimous and carried the approval of both Election Commissioners as well as Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. "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 sources said.

The clarification came hours after The Indian Express reported that Sandhu and Joshi had formally recorded objections at least 14 times over a 10-month period to decisions and orders which, according to their written communications cited by the newspaper, were taken without their knowledge or approval. The report said the objections covered issues including changes to Form 6 for new voters, deletion and restoration of names from electoral rolls, appeals against decisions on voter inclusion and the centralisation of access to electoral databases and software controls.

The report also said that the two Election Commissioners had raised concerns over the functioning of the Commission's technology systems and had approached Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan over issues relating to the administration and integrity of voter software. It further reported that the three-member Commission held its first full meeting in four months on September 9.

The Election Commission is a constitutional body under Article 324 and currently comprises the Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners. The Commission's own website states that all Election Commissioners have an equal say in decision-making and that its business is transacted through regular meetings as well as circulation of papers.

The Indian Express report, however, said the objections by Sandhu and Joshi invoked provisions governing the functioning of the multi-member Commission. According to the report, the two Commissioners had questioned, among other things, whether certain communications issued in the name of the ECI had received the requisite approval of the Commission.

The newspaper also reported that Sandhu had objected to changes made to Form 6, saying the alterations were "unauthorised" and "illegal", while the two Commissioners had raised concerns about the gradual centralisation of access to electoral-roll databases in Delhi. The EC sources' response, however, specifically maintained that the decisions of the Commission, including SIR, were taken unanimously and had the approval of all three members.

The exchange has come amid intense political scrutiny of the ECI's handling of the SIR exercise and electoral-roll revisions. The latest report and the Election Commission's response have put the internal decision-making process of the three-member poll panel under renewed public and political focus.

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