Indian Express reports election commissioners questioned CEC Kumar 14 times over voter rolls

September 24, 2026 at 01:26 PM2 min

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India's Election Commission faces a credibility crisis after the Indian Express reported that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was questioned at least 14 times by his two colleagues over voter database integrity and electoral roll security. Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected to decisions taken without their knowledge, including a letter to the chief secretary. The report comes as the commission conducts a controversial Special Intensive Revision that has removed 130 million names from the rolls.

Key Facts

The Indian Express reported that CEC Gyanesh Kumar was questioned at least 14 times in the past 10 months by Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi over voter database integrity and electoral roll security.
Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi wrote a letter to the chief secretary, the top bureaucrat in the Indian government, complaining about decisions taken without their knowledge.
The Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision has struck off 130 million names from India's voters' list.
Opposition parties have demanded CEC Kumar's resignation and accused him of manipulating the voters' list to favour the BJP.
The Election Commission said in a statement that differing views are part of the decision-making process.

Internal Dispute

The Indian Express reported that in the past few months, CEC Gyanesh Kumar was repeatedly questioned by Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi over the integrity of the voter database, changes to new voter enrolment, and the security of electoral rolls. The report said the two commissioners objected to several decisions taken without their knowledge, and that there were at least 14 instances in the past 10 months when they were kept in the dark. In one instance, Sandhu and Joshi wrote a letter to the chief secretary, the top bureaucrat in the Indian government, complaining about the decisions. Sandhu and Joshi have not publicly commented on the report, but the Election Commission said in a statement that differing views were part of the decision-making process.

Special Intensive Revision

The Election Commission is carrying out a country-wide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral database, which it says aims to ensure no ineligible name remains on the rolls. The commission said the last revision was done nearly a quarter of a century ago and the voters' list needs updating to account for those who have died, left the country, or are registered in more than one place. The exercise has seen 130 million names from across India struck off the voters' list. Opposition parties have accused CEC Kumar of manipulating the voters' list to favour Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party during elections, but both the BJP and the Election Commission have rejected the accusations.

Political Fallout

The revelations have created a furore, with opposition leaders demanding Kumar's resignation. The report comes at a time when the commission is carrying out the controversial country-wide revision of the electoral database. The latest revelations are seen as much more serious because they involve questions raised from within the Election Commission about the way its chief is functioning.