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India Election Panel Kept United Front Despite 14 Internal Objections
India's Election Commission has three members who appeared to agree in public.
However, two commissioners wrote 14 internal notes raising concerns about some decisions.
Their concerns included how voter names were added, removed, or restored.
They also questioned how election software was controlled.
The commissioners still appeared together at important public meetings.
One dispute concerned voter-list changes in West Bengal.
The Election Commission said these disagreements were a normal part of making decisions.
It said the commission's final decisions were unanimous.
An Indian Express investigation identified 14 internal objections recorded by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi between October 2025 and August 2026.
The objections involved voter additions, deletions and restorations, appeals against electoral-roll decisions, and access to election software.
Sandhu and Joshi reportedly questioned increasing centralisation of the electoral-roll database and limited information about new technology modules.
All three commissioners continued appearing together at major briefings and the International Conference on Democracy and Election Management.
The Election Commission acknowledged the notes but called them normal internal decision-making, saying its decisions during the period were unanimous.
- Who
- Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi recorded objections within the three-member Election Commission of India, led during this period by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
- What
- An investigation reported 14 internal objections concerning electoral rolls, voter-related appeals, and access to election software despite continued joint public appearances.
- Where
- The developments concerned the Election Commission of India, including briefings in Guwahati, Kolkata, and New Delhi, and the launch of ECINet in Delhi.
- When
- The objections were recorded between October 2025 and August 2026; the commissioners appeared together at major briefings during the same period.
- Why
- Sandhu and Joshi raised concerns about electoral-roll administration, software access, and what they described as increasing centralisation; the ECI said such observations were part of normal decision-making.
Internal Concerns and Investigation
Election Commission Response
Meaning of the objections
Internal Concerns and Investigation
The investigation reported that the 14 notes reflected concerns by Sandhu and Joshi over voter administration, software access, and centralisation of the electoral-roll database.
Election Commission Response
The ECI said the notes represented normal internal decision-making and that focusing on them showed only one part of the commission's broader work.
Control of electoral-roll software
Internal Concerns and Investigation
The commissioners reportedly questioned restrictions on state-level Electoral Registration Officers and increasing centralisation of the database.
Election Commission Response
The ECI did not dispute the notes but maintained that the commission's decisions and instructions during the period were unanimous.
Public unity
Internal Concerns and Investigation
The continued joint appearances did not publicly reveal the disagreements described in the internal records.
Election Commission Response
The ECI's public position was that the commission acted collectively, with all three members signing its response.
Key facts
- Internal objections
- 14 objections were recorded by Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
- Investigation period
- October 2025 to August 2026.
- Main system
- ERONet is the Election Commission's electoral-roll database.
- New platform
- ECINet was launched in January 2026 to bring several election-related portals under one system.
- West Bengal rolls
- A March 10 briefing occurred amid controversy over reports that more than 60 lakh voters had been removed from the final list.
- West Bengal appeals
- Sandhu reportedly questioned around 16 lakh appeals filed before tribunals over voter-list decisions.
- ECI position
- The commission said its decisions during the period were unanimous and described the observations as part of normal decision-making.
Quotes
Gyanesh Kumar
Chief Election Commissioner of India
“The ECI would ensure the purity of the electoral roll and that no eligible voter would be excluded.”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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