On Saturday, September 26, the Election Commission’s three commissioners—Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi—unanimously approved the June 24 2025 order mandating a nationwide Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
The order, which begins in Bihar and expands to 30 states and union territories, had faced scrutiny after a September 23 report in The Indian Express alleged that Sandhu and Joshi had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions between November 2025 and August 2026.
In a press note issued from Nirvachan Sadan, the EC clarified that the objections were unrelated to policy and that the Supreme Court’s May 27 2026 ruling had upheld the SIR order, effectively quashing the dissent claims.
BJP MP Sambit Patra seized the moment, telling reporters in Bhubaneswar that the commission’s unity had been "clarified unequivocally", while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi warned that the commission’s leadership was untrustworthy and demanded the removal of Gyanesh Kumar.
With the Supreme Court’s endorsement, the SIR will proceed as scheduled—12 states and union territories will begin the revision on October 27 2025, and the remaining 19 on May 14 2026—while the EC plans to publish detailed meeting agendas and minutes to increase transparency.
One voter in Bihar, 72‑year‑old Meera Sharma, said she is relieved that the roll will be reviewed, fearing her name might be omitted.