Election Commissioners Objected 14 Times in Ten Months During SIR, Report Finds

Two Election Commissioners have placed objections on record 14 times over a ten-month period, according to an investigation into the functioning of the Election Commission of India during its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Many of the decisions in question, the findings suggest, were taken without the knowledge of the two commissioners.

The disagreements centre on several flashpoints. One involves the processing of Form 6, the application used by citizens to register as new voters. Another concerns the centralisation of ERONet, the platform that underpins electoral roll management. The objections indicate that key operational choices during the SIR were pushed through without consensus among the full commission.

The SIR has drawn particular attention in West Bengal, where 27 lakh voters have been deleted from the rolls. The deletions come ahead of the state's assembly elections, lending the exercise heightened political sensitivity.

The investigation points to a pattern of internal dissent within the commission rather than isolated disagreements. With the West Bengal elections approaching, the scale of the deletions and the manner in which the revision was conducted are likely to remain contested.

The developments raise broader questions about the functioning of the poll body and the transparency of its decision-making processes during a large-scale revision of electoral rolls.