In September 2026, reports emerged of an internal rift within India’s Election Commission over changes to voter rolls, Form 6 alterations and software control, sparking a public dispute between senior officials and the poll body.
Dispute Over Voter Roll Deletions and Form 6 Changes
A Deccan Herald report titled “Mass deletion of voters during SIR, ‘bypassed’ rules: Dissent notes flag internal rift in Election Commission” said that large‑scale deletions of voters occurred during the System of Internal Reporting (SIR) and that the process allegedly bypassed established rules. The dissent notes, according to the newspaper, flagged an internal rift within the Commission. The Siasat Daily also reported that commissioners raised concerns about SIR and changes to voter forms, but the poll body denied any division, insisting that all actions were taken uniformly.
GujaratSamachar English highlighted that two commissioners described certain actions as “illegal,” focusing on the modifications to Form 6 and the accompanying software controls. The newspaper linked the commissioners’ objections to procedural violations in the management of electoral rolls.
Commissioners Record 14 Objections in Ten Months
Mangalore Today and The Indian Express both noted that Election Commissioners Sanjeev Kumar Sandhu and Ashok Kumar Joshi recorded 14 formal objections over a ten‑month period. The Indian Express described the objections as being directed at “poll panel steps” taken without proper consensus. An additional India Today piece quoted O.P. Rawat and Syed Zafar Islam discussing the same set of objections, reinforcing that the disagreements were documented and publicised through official channels.
The objections, as reported, centred on the mass deletions, the alleged bypassing of rules, and the implementation of Form 6 changes through software that some commissioners considered irregular. The repeated nature of the dissent—14 times in ten months—underscored the depth of the disagreement among the senior officials.
Official Denial of Rift, Claims of Unanimity
Despite the public reports, uniindia.com quoted unnamed EC sources rejecting the notion of an internal rift. According to those sources, all decisions—including those related to SIR—were made unanimously by the Commission. The Siasat Daily also reproduced the poll body’s statement that the Commission acted as a unified entity and that the media reports misrepresented the internal dynamics.
The official stance maintains that procedural safeguards were followed and that the changes to voter rolls and Form 6 were implemented under established protocols. The denial, however, does not address the specific objections raised by Sandhu and Joshi or the allegations of rule‑bypassing reported by the Deccan Herald.
Implications for Electoral Integrity
The controversy highlights concerns about procedural compliance and transparency in the management of electoral data. While the Election Commission asserts that its actions were unanimous and lawful, the documented objections from two commissioners suggest that significant internal disagreements exist over the handling of voter rolls and form modifications. The dispute also draws attention to the role of software controls in electoral processes and whether current oversight mechanisms are sufficient to prevent unilateral actions that could affect voter eligibility.