In recent months, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi are reported to have raised questions over certain actions concerning the revision of electoral rolls, registration of new voters, deletion of names, and management of the election database under Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
In particular, the two Election Commissioners are reported to have objected to the inclusion of a question in Form 6, used for registering new voters, asking whether the applicant’s parents or grandparents had been listed in an earlier electoral roll. They reportedly stated that such a change could not be introduced without the necessary amendment to the relevant rules.
Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi are also reported to have expressed concerns over the centralisation of the voter database in Delhi and restrictions on access by election officials at the state level. They are further reported to have raised these issues with the Union Cabinet Secretary.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has stated that all major decisions, including those related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), were taken unanimously with the approval of all three Election Commissioners, including Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The developments have since sparked discussion over the internal functioning and decision-making process of the Election Commission.
