The Election Commission has confirmed that all orders regarding the revision of electoral rolls were passed unanimously by its three members. Sources in the poll body stated on Friday that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, approved every single order. This includes the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) orders for Bihar, 12 other states and union territories, and 19 additional states and UTs. Assam, however, underwent a Special Revision due to unique provisions of the Citizenship Act.
This clarification arrives two days after The Indian Express reported that Sandhu and Joshi had recorded formal objections against decisions taken in the commission’s name. The report alleged that the two commissioners objected to at least 14 decisions between November 2025 and August 2026. The central point of contention is Form 6, the application for new voters. A Supreme Court petition claims that a condition requiring first-time voters to establish a link to the last SIR was introduced without legislative authority. Sandhu and Joshi have not commented publicly on the attributed objections, but the EC insists the final record shows unanimity.
The commission first reacted on September 23, the day the report was published. In a press note signed by a deputy director-level official, the body stated that differing views are a normal part of institutional deliberations. It maintained that all orders carry full legal sanction and that suggestions from commissioners were aimed at improving electoral processes.
The row has ignited a fierce political offensive. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi called the events “treason” and demanded Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation at a press conference. “The time will come, we will catch you,” Gandhi said. Trinamool Congress founder Mamata Banerjee went further, demanding Kumar’s arrest in a Facebook video message. She announced protests and insisted that re-elections in West Bengal must be held using the old voter list, referring to the state where the BJP recently ended her three-term rule.
Legal battles are also intensifying. Advocate Shailendra Mani Tripathi has filed a petition in the Supreme Court arguing that Kumar cannot claim the immunity granted under Section 16 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023. The petition seeks to have Kumar investigated and tried like any other accused, bypassing the legal bar on civil or criminal cases against serving commissioners for acts done in official duty.