Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Saturday met Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi amid an ongoing controversy over reported differences within the Election Commission of India (ECI) concerning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
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The September 26 meeting was the first meeting involving all three members of the poll panel since reports emerged about objections allegedly raised by Sandhu and Joshi over several decisions linked to the SIR exercise.
Election Commission Addresses SIR-Related Questions
The meeting comes days after a report by The Indian Express said the two Election Commissioners had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over a period of 10 months. The reported concerns included aspects of voter registration, deletion and restoration of names, Form 6 and access to electoral-roll data.
The Election Commission has maintained that differences of opinion, observations and queries are part of the internal checks and balances of a multi-member constitutional body. It has also stated that final decisions concerning the SIR exercise were taken unanimously.
Gyanesh Kumar and ECs Discuss Institutional Issues
The latest meeting took place against the backdrop of questions over how the reported objections were handled within the poll panel.
The ECI’s position is that individual observations made during deliberations do not necessarily represent the final decision of the Commission. The controversy has nevertheless prompted scrutiny of the decision-making process surrounding the electoral-roll revision exercise.
SIR Process Remains at Centre of Debate
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) began in Bihar in June 2025 and has subsequently been expanded to other parts of the country. According to reporting on the exercise, more than 13 crore names have been removed from draft electoral rolls across 30 states and Union Territories, making the process a major focus of political and institutional debate.
