Source The Hindu
A major political storm has erupted in the country after a bombshell media report revealed deep cracks inside the Election Commission of India (ECI).
According to an investigative report published by The Indian Express, two Election Commissioners—Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi—raised written objections at least 14 times over a ten-month period. They reported that major decisions were being made in the name of the commission without their knowledge or approval, with some steps termed “unauthorised and illegal”.
Following the revelations, unified Opposition parties launched a fierce joint offensive, demanding the immediate sacking, impeachment, and investigation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
What Sparked the Dispute?
The core of the disagreement centers on how the voter lists have been revised across the country through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive.
The two dissenting commissioners flagged that key orders—including changes to voter enrollment rules (such as Form 6 for new applicants) and large-scale voter list revisions—were being directed unilaterally from the central office without full commission meetings. In internal notes, they cautioned that altering statutory voter forms without legal rule changes bypasses due process and sidelines local election officers.
Opposition Mounts a Fierce Attack
Leading figures across Opposition ranks accused the poll panel chief of running the election body as a “one-man autocracy”.
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, termed the bypass of constitutional safeguards an act of treason and a direct attack on democracy.
Congress Leadership, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and general secretary Jairam Ramesh, pointed out that 73 Opposition lawmakers had previously submitted an impeachment notice against the CEC. They argued that Kumar has lost the moral and administrative right to stay in office.
Regional Leaders Speak Out: Trinamool Congress (TMC), Samajwadi Party, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Shiv Sena (UBT), and DMK also joined the chorus. Leaders including Arvind Kejriwal and Uddhav Thackeray called for a Supreme Court-monitored probe, demanding that future elections not be supervised under Kumar’s leadership.
Election Commission and BJP Respond
The Election Commission quickly pushed back against the charges, maintaining that its actions are legal and grounded in proper statutory procedures.
In a public statement, the poll body stated that written notes, differing technical opinions, and internal arguments are standard parts of healthy checks and balances in any democratic body. The ECI clarified that looking at 14 internal draft notes ignores the larger body of decisions, adding that final policies regarding voter roll revisions were adopted unanimously.
Defending the poll panel, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dismissed the Opposition’s accusations. Party spokespersons argued that having differing viewpoints during discussions demonstrates transparent, democratic functioning rather than rubber-stamping decisions.
With the Opposition pushing for parliamentary action and court intervention, the row over the Election Commission’s functioning is set to intensify in the coming days.
