59 mins ago
Election Commission Says SIR Decisions Were Unanimous Despite Reported Objections
The Election Commission of India is checking and updating voter lists through a process called the SIR.
A report said two commissioners disagreed with some actions many times.
The report also said some decisions and orders were made without their knowledge.
Election Commission officials rejected the idea that this was official disagreement within the Commission.
They said the two commissioners only raised questions about deleting names and managing voter data.
Officials insisted that all final decisions, including the SIR, were approved by all three commissioners.
They also said the law and a Supreme Court judgment favor agreement whenever possible.
Opposition parties worry that the process could remove some voters and help the Bharatiya Janata Party.
P Chidambaram asked for the process to stop while the decisions are reviewed.
The Election Commission of India denied that two commissioners’ recorded objections represented dissent over the Special Intensive Revision.
Officials said Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi raised concerns about voter deletions and voter-database handling in several states.
The Commission said every decision, including the SIR, was approved unanimously by all three commissioners.
A report said Sandhu and Joshi objected at least 14 times in 10 months, including four objections on one day.
Opposition leaders, including P Chidambaram, called for reviewing recent decisions and suspending the SIR process.
- Who
- The Election Commission of India, including Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, is at the center of the dispute; opposition parties and P Chidambaram also criticized the process.
- What
- The Commission denied that reported objections by Sandhu and Joshi amounted to dissent over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
- Where
- The issue concerns voter-roll revision across India, including deletion and database-handling decisions in different states.
- When
- The Commission issued its response on Wednesday; the reported objections allegedly occurred at least 14 times over the previous 10 months.
- Why
- The Commission responded to a report alleging that the two commissioners objected to decisions and orders issued without their knowledge.
Election Commission’s Position
Report and Opposition’s Concerns
Whether objections amounted to dissent
Election Commission’s Position
Officials said individual opinions or concerns do not constitute Commission decisions or dissent, and that all final decisions were unanimous.
Report and Opposition’s Concerns
The cited report said Sandhu and Joshi formally objected at least 14 times and questioned decisions and orders allegedly issued without their knowledge.
Effect of the SIR
Election Commission’s Position
The Election Commission defended the process as a unanimously approved voter-roll exercise governed by law and supported by a Supreme Court judgment favoring consensus.
Report and Opposition’s Concerns
Opposition parties alleged that the process could exclude voters, particularly those not aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies.
What should happen next
Election Commission’s Position
Officials said the Commission’s system is unified nationally and denied allegations of central interference, saying no such complaints had been received.
Report and Opposition’s Concerns
P Chidambaram called for a Parliamentary Committee review of recent Commission decisions and demanded that the SIR be suspended nationwide.
Key facts
- Process
- Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls
- Commission’s position
- All decisions, including the SIR, were unanimous and approved by all three commissioners.
- Reported objections
- At least 14 objections over 10 months, according to the cited report.
- Issues raised
- Deletion of voter names in different states and handling of the voter database.
- Commissioners named
- Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
- Opposition demand
- P Chidambaram called for a review of recent decisions and immediate suspension of the SIR.
Quotes
P. Chidambaram
Former Union Finance Minister and senior Congress leader
“If two ECs have taken a contrary view, how could the CEC make his view the ‘decision’ of the ECI? All decisions of the ECI in recent years should be reviewed by a Parliamentary Committee. Meanwhile, the S.I.R. process should be suspended immediately all over the country.”
thestatesman.com
“There are two separate points — 1. Decision; and 2. Decision-making process. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that if the decision-making process is flawed or wrong, the decision will also be flawed or wrong.”
thestatesman.com
Election Commission sources
Sources representing the Election Commission of India.
“While any or both Election Commissioners, or the Chief Election Commissioner, may have individual opinions on any matter, all decisions of the Election Commission of India, including the SIR, have been taken unanimously and with the approval of both Election Commissioners and the Chief Election Commissioner.”
businesstoday.in
“Since the brain is human, not a computer, differences in opinion are natural. But by coordinating and reaching consensus, things move forward.”
businesstoday.in
Sources
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