What happened
Two Election Commissioners objected on record 14 times in 10 months, four on one day, to orders signed off by Chief Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Why it matters
Over 130 million names were struck from draft rolls since June 2025; Delhi fell 32.8 percent. Form 6, ERONet access and the Goa miss are now the flashpoints.
Remember this
The Commission is fighting itself over the roll.
At odds inside the Commission
Sandhu and Joshi object to the Form 6 change, ERONet access and the scale of deletions. The Commission says dissent is normal and SIR decisions were unanimous; the BJP called the criticism a smear campaign.
More context & who is affected
Two Election Commissioners have logged at least 14 formal objections to Chief Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's orders in 10 months, four of them on a single day, according to on-record writings the Indian Express investigation now has.
The dispute centres on the Special Intensive Revision, which has removed over 13 crore names across 30 states since June 2025; Delhi's draft roll fell 32.8 percent.
Sandhu and Joshi call the new Form 6 question and the tightened ERONet access 'unauthorised and illegal'; Rahul Gandhi has branded the drive 'vote chori', while Mamata Banerjee wants Kumar arrested.
- Formal objections by ECs
- 14 in 10 months Sandhu and Joshi logged 14 on-record objections, four of them on a single day, all copied to CEC Gyanesh Kumar.BBC NewsThe Indian Express
- Names struck off in SIR
- 13 crore+ across 30 states/UTs Began in Bihar in June 2025; roughly 14.1 percent reduction, Delhi highest at 32.8 percent.The Indian Express
- Voters removed in West Bengal
- 2.7 million Mamata Banerjee says the deletions cost TMC the election and wants fresh polls with the pre-SIR rolls.BBC News
- Eligible voters missed in Goa
- 97 Software had no rollback option despite Supreme Court directions; the Goa CEO's office wrote eight times in February.The Indian Express
General Public · Young Voters
Voter rolls are the single source of truth for elections; if the deletion logic is disputed, eligibility checks and voter IDs feel less certain.
General Public
If ERONet access stays centralised, state-level election officials lose visibility into the very database that decides their roll.
General Public · Policy Watchers
A visibly split Commission weakens public trust in the fairness of the upcoming West Bengal and later polls.
Story updates 12
Key developments (12)
Follow-up events appended to this developing story
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Curative plea seeks recall of SC’s September 23 split verdict on CEC appointment law
Dr Jaya Thakur’s curative petition cites an alleged conflict of interest over Justice SC Sharma’s son serving as ECI standing counsel before the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
Source: X (barkha dutt) -
Kharge: bulk Form 7 filings aimed at erasing 60 lakh Karnataka voters
Karnataka Congress 1 Oct call: scrap SIR, criminal inquiry into bulk Form 7s, FIRs, data-leak trace; names Bhalki and Babaleshwar.
Source: X (Priyank Kharge) -
Analysis Says SC Upheld the Bihar SIR Declaration, Not ECI's July Form 6 Version
LiveLaw analysis argues the Supreme Court upheld the 2025 Bihar SIR declaration, not ECI's new July Form 6 version.
Source: LiveLaw -
CJP schedules October 2 Mumbai protest, plans Gyanesh Kumar morcha in four more cities
CJP's Abhijeet Dipke sets an October 2 Shivaji Park protest and a multi-city morcha against CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
Source: The Indian Express -
CJP vows CEC Kumar's fall and demands freeze of the SIR roll
Dipke announces Oct 2 Shivaji Park protest in Mumbai with six more cities by month-end; demands CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation, SIR roll freeze, and transparent CEC appointment.
Source: The Hindu -
Dipke warns of nationwide protests, Jantar Mantar stir by October end
Dipke demands CEC resignation, plans Jantar Mantar protest, CJP stays independent of Opposition October 6 stir
Source: The Hindu -
Police book 3 FIRs after Delhi crowds kept off Jantar Mantar CEC protest
Delhi Police book 3 FIRs under Section 223 BNS over the foiled Jantar Mantar protest seeking CEC Kumar's resignation; about 1,000 detained.
Source: The Hindustan Times -
SC seeks ECI and Law Ministry replies on alleged unilateral CEC decisions
SC issues notice seeking ECI, Union Law Ministry and CEC replies on alleged unilateral decision-making, with 14 EC objections on record.
Source: Arvind Gunasekar / X -
SC refuses to suspend CEC Gyanesh Kumar; issues notice to ECI, all three ECs
SC refuses interim suspension of CEC Gyanesh Kumar; notice issued to ECI and all three ECs
Source: LiveLaw -
SC clarifies it never approved modified Form 6 for SIR
CJI Surya Kant clarified SC never approved any modified Form 6 for SIR, contradicting ECI's Sept 26 press note and weakening CEC Gyanesh Kumar's defence.
Source: X (@arvindgunasekar) -
Ex-SC Judge Gopala Gowda Says SIR Verdict Must Be Recalled
Ex-SC judge V Gopala Gowda asks for the May 2026 SIR verdict to be recalled as he says the ECI misrepresented facts to the Court.
Source: LiveLaw -
India tells UN's OHCHR Delhi detention concern is misplaced interference
India's "India at UN" post on X calls OHCHR's SIR-protest concern misplaced and interference; urges comparable attention to protests elsewhere.
Source: The Times of India
Reporting fromBBC News ↗The Indian Express ↗
Sources & verification2 sources · 4 claims
These are the records behind this briefing. Linked reporting is not the same as independent confirmation.
- BBC NewsReporting
Election Commission rift over SIR and 14 objections (Geeta Pandey) ↗
Published Sep 24, 2026 · Accessed Sep 24, 2026 - The Indian ExpressReportingPublished Sep 23, 2026 · Accessed Sep 24, 2026
Claims and linked sources
Two Election Commissioners logged at least 14 formal objections to orders signed by Chief Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over 10 months, four of them on a single day.
Since June 2025 the Special Intensive Revision has struck more than 13 crore names across 30 states and UTs, roughly a 14.1 percent cut with Delhi highest at 32.8 percent.
Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi objected in writing that a mandatory question was added to Form 6 without the rules being amended and that ERONet access was being centralised; Sandhu recorded the change as 'unauthorised and illegal'.
In Goa, 97 voters found eligible were left off the final roll because the software had no rollback; Rahul Gandhi called SIR 'vote chori' and 'treason' on X, and Mamata Banerjee demanded Kumar's arrest.
