Differing Views Are Normal but Decisions Unanimous: Election Commission Amid Row

New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday said that differences of opinion during internal deliberations are normal, while asserting that all final decisions of the three-member poll panel have been taken unanimously.

The clarification came after a report highlighted objections allegedly recorded by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi on several decisions taken during the past 10 months, including matters connected with the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

What did the Election Commission say?

In an official statement, the ECI said its three commissioners can have individual views, observations and suggestions while examining issues.

The poll panel said such observations should not be treated as final decisions of the Commission. According to the ECI, written notes, technical suggestions and internal checks are part of the decision-making process in a multi-member constitutional institution.

The Commission said that not only the three Election Commissioners but also its officers are authorised to offer suggestions aimed at improving the electoral system.

Row over alleged objections by Election Commissioners

The clarification followed a report stating that Election Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi had recorded objections to decisions taken in the Commission's name on at least 14 occasions over a 10-month period.

The reported disagreements included issues relating to changes in Form 6, centralisation of ERONet controls in Delhi, voter-deletion appeals in West Bengal and the non-inclusion of some eligible voters in electoral rolls in Goa.

The ECI, however, said focusing on individual internal notes without considering the larger number of approvals, decisions and initiatives taken by the full Commission would present only one part of its functioning.

ECI says SIR decisions were unanimous

A major point of the controversy concerns the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

The Election Commission said decisions relating to SIR, as well as its other major decisions, had the approval of all three Election Commissioners. India Today also reported that the poll body maintained that individual opinions expressed during deliberations did not amount to dissent from a final Commission decision.

The ECI's clarification comes as the SIR exercise has become a major political and legal issue, particularly in states where electoral rolls are being revised ahead of elections.

How the Commission describes its decision-making process

The ECI said it functions as a multi-member constitutional body under Article 324 of the Constitution, along with applicable laws and established institutional procedures.

According to the Commission, internal notes and observations are part of the process through which issues are examined before a final decision is reached.

The poll body said this system allows commissioners and officials to raise concerns, suggest changes and examine operational or legal questions before the Commission reaches a decision.

Why the issue has attracted attention

The reported objections have drawn political attention because they concern the functioning of an institution responsible for administering elections and maintaining electoral rolls.

Opposition reactions have included calls for greater scrutiny of the Commission's decision-making process, while the ECI has maintained that its final decisions were unanimous. The claims about individual objections and the Commission's response represent competing accounts of the significance of internal deliberations.

The ECI also said it had taken numerous decisions, issued instructions and introduced around 40 initiatives and electoral reforms over the past year, including work related to electoral-roll revision and SIR.

What happens next?

The Election Commission's statement seeks to distinguish between internal deliberation and final institutional decisions.

While commissioners may express different views while examining a proposal, the ECI says the final decisions issued by the Commission have been unanimous.

The controversy is therefore likely to remain focused on the extent and significance of the reported internal objections, particularly as the SIR exercise and electoral-roll changes continue to receive political and legal scrutiny.