Former CEC O.P. Rawat Calls Reported EC Differences Over SIR “Unfortunate”

Former Chief Election Commissioner O.P. Rawat has described the reported differences within the Election Commission of India over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as an “unfortunate situation”. His remarks came after reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections at least 14 times over a 10-month period on issues including voter registration and deletion, changes to Form 6 and the management of electoral-roll databases. Rawat said that during his tenure, the Commission generally took decisions unanimously and sought consensus when differences emerged.

Rawat also questioned the reported changes to Form 6, the statutory application used for voter registration, describing them as “absolutely wrong and illegal”. He further raised concerns about the reported centralisation of electoral-roll software, saying technology should not prevent field officials from taking decisions within the law. At the same time, the Election Commission has rejected suggestions of an internal rift, stating that individual observations and differences during deliberations are part of normal functioning and that all final decisions, including those related to SIR, were taken unanimously by the three-member Commission.