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2 clusters · 45 sources · 1 days · First seen about 10 hours ago · Last updated about 9 hours ago

Controversy over India Election Commission operations

Overview

The Election Commission of India (ECI) remains under intense scrutiny following reports of internal dissent regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Allegations persist that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi filed at least 14 formal objections over a 10-month period concerning voter registration, the deletion and restoration of names, and changes to Form-6.

Opposition leaders, including Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Kapil Sibal, and Mamata Banerjee, have criticized Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with some calling for his suspension or arrest. Kharge characterized the reported internal objections as a sign of ‘arbitrary conduct’ within a constitutional body. Further criticism has come from Jharkhand Rural Development Minister Deepika Pandey Singh, who suggested that ‘organized vote theft’ is occurring and described the situation as a ‘betrayal of the constitution and democracy.’

Critics allege ‘vote theft’ involving the removal of approximately 138 million names from voter lists across 31 states and union territories, alongside the misuse of improper software applications. The ECI has officially denied claims of internal disagreement, maintaining that all decisions were unanimous and that differing observations are a standard part of the deliberation process.

Concurrently, the Supreme Court of India has issued a split verdict regarding the 2023 law governing the appointment of the CEC and Election Commissioners. This law replaced a selection panel that included the Chief Justice of India with a committee consisting of the Prime Minister, a Union Cabinet Minister, and the Leader of Opposition. The matter has been referred to the Chief Justice of India to determine if a larger Constitution Bench is required to resolve the legal challenge.

Entities

Gyanesh Kumar · Election Commission of India · Deepika Pandey Singh · Vivek Joshi · Uddhav Thackeray

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Coverage disagrees

Sources make claims that cannot both be true. CLSTR reports the disagreement; it does not decide who is right.

"All decisions of the Election Commission, including the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), were taken unanimously with the approval of the Chief Election Commissioner and both Election Commissioners." desitalkchicago.com · www.timesnownews.com · www.bhaskarhindi.com · news.abplive.com · pragativadi.com · +13 more

vs

"Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi reportedly raised at least 14 objections over a 10-month period regarding decisions made without their knowledge or approval." desitalkchicago.com · newsable.asianetnews.com · www.timesnownews.com · www.bhaskarhindi.com · news.abplive.com · +18 more

One claim asserts that Election Commissioners raised at least 14 objections regarding decisions made without their knowledge, while the other asserts all decisions were taken unanimously with their's/

[DISPUTED] Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi reportedly raised at least 14 objections over a 10-month period regarding decisions made without their knowledge or approval. desitalkchicago.com · newsable.asianetnews.com · www.timesnownews.com · www.bhaskarhindi.com · news.abplive.com · +18 more
[DISPUTED] All decisions of the Election Commission, including the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), were taken unanimously with the approval of the Chief Election Commissioner and both Election Commissioners. desitalkchicago.com · www.timesnownews.com · www.bhaskarhindi.com · news.abplive.com · pragativadi.com · +13 more
[● 8 SOURCES] The Supreme Court delivered a split verdict on whether to refer petitions challenging the 2023 CEC appointment law to a five-judge Constitution Bench. desitalkchicago.com · madhyamamonline.com · www.nationalheraldindia.com · www.newindianexpress.com · english.publictv.in · +3 more
[● 4 SOURCES] Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav called for the Supreme Court of India to take suo motu cognisance of the situation. desitalkchicago.com · www.timesnownews.com · thefederal.com · madhyamamonline.com
[● 3 SOURCES] Reported objections included issues with Form 6 changes, centralization of electoral-roll databases, voter-deletion appeals in West Bengal, and voter registration difficulties in Goa. pragativadi.com · www.newindianexpress.com · www.timesnownews.com
[● 3 SOURCES] Justice Datta observed that the selection committee composition might give the Executive a veto and fail the perception test for independence. english.publictv.in · www.chennaionline.com · munsifdaily.com
[● 3 SOURCES] More than 13 crore names have been removed from draft electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. theobserverpost.com · shiningindianews.com · thefederal.com
[● 2 SOURCES] DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan alleged the BJP-led government is using the Special Intensive Revision process to remove Muslim voters from electoral rolls. newsable.asianetnews.com · www.timesnownews.com
[● 2 SOURCES] Uddhav Thackeray demanded that elections in Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Karnataka be conducted using ballot papers to protect democracy. desitalkchicago.com · bhaskarlive.in
[● 2 SOURCES] Mamata Banerjee demanded the arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and fresh assembly elections in West Bengal. sabrangindia.in · kalingatv.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien urged Parliament to bring forward a notice of motion signed by over 60 Rajya Sabha MPs to remove Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. desitalkchicago.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut demanded the suspension of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and legal action against him. newsable.asianetnews.com

Timeline

about 9 hours ago

[POLITICS] 3 sources
Indian opposition leaders demand removal of Election Commissioner
Indian opposition leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, are demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar following allegations of voter list tampering and internal commission objections.
about 10 hours ago

[POLITICS] 41 sources FAST-MOVING
Election Commission of India faces scrutiny over voter roll revision disputes
The Election Commission of India faces backlash after reports that two commissioners objected 14 times to SIR voter roll decisions. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court issued a split verdict on CEC appointment laws.

Sources

agniban.com · barandbench.com · bhaskarhindi.com · bhaskarlive.in · bilkulonline.com · chennaionline.com · deccanchronicle.com · desitalkchicago.com · dtnext.in · english.mathrubhumi.com · english.publictv.in · kalingatv.com · lagatar.in · lagatar24.com · latestly.com · liveaaryaavart.com · madhyamamonline.com · marilenabadolato.it · millenniumpost.in · morungexpress.com · munsifdaily.com · nationalheraldindia.com · navabharat.com · newindianexpress.com · news.abplive.com · news18.com · newsable.asianetnews.com · newsbytesapp.com · newslaundry.com · odishabytes.com · orissapost.com · pragativadi.com · punjabkesari.com · sabrangindia.in · sahilonline.org · scroll.in · shiningindianews.com · siasat.com · socialnews.xyz · thefederal.com · thenewsminute.com · theobserverpost.com · thequint.com · timesnownews.com · yespunjab.com

This summary has been updated 3 times: see revision history