ECI Says All Decisions Unanimous, Rebuts Report on Internal Dissent

The Election Commission of India on Friday said every decision it has taken over the past year was unanimous, issuing its first response to a report that pointed to internal discord within the poll body.

In a statement, the Commission said differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberation in any institution and form part of the decision-making process before a final call is taken. It added that not just the three commissioners but every officer of the Commission is authorised to offer suggestions aimed at improving the electoral system.

The Commission is headed by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alongside Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.

The statement followed a report that said two election commissioners had objected on record to several decisions taken by the poll body allegedly without their knowledge. The report said the two had raised formal objections at least 14 times over a span of 10 months, including concerns over changes to Form 6 and the centralisation of electoral roll data.

Responding to that account, the Commission said highlighting certain internal notes and observations spread over 10 months, while overlooking a much larger body of approvals, decisions, instructions and initiatives, presents only one part of the picture.

It said that in recent months it has taken numerous decisions, issued instructions, introduced around 40 new initiatives and undertaken several electoral reforms, including the conduct of electoral roll revision and the Special Intensive Revision exercise across the country. All of these, it said, were the outcome of unanimous decisions of the full Commission over the past year.

The statement was signed by Deputy Director P Pawan. The Commission's response is expected to draw pushback from opposition parties, which have demanded a point-by-point rebuttal of the report rather than a general defence of the poll body's record.