New Delhi, September 23, 2026: A fresh political controversy has erupted around the Election Commission of India (ECI) after a report alleged that two Election Commissioners repeatedly recorded objections to decisions taken within the poll panel. Opposition parties have responded by demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and calling for further scrutiny of the Commission’s functioning. 

According to a report by The Indian Express, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi formally raised objections at least 14 times over a period of 10 months. The reported disagreements concerned electoral-roll management, voter additions and deletions, and the systems used to maintain voter data. 

One issue highlighted in the report concerns the centralised handling of electoral-roll data. The report cited instances in which officials raised questions about access to the digital systems used for maintaining voter information and about the authority to make changes to electoral records. 

The controversy has also brought the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls into sharper political focus. Opposition leaders have argued that the reported objections raise questions about how decisions affecting voters' names and electoral records were being taken.

Several Opposition parties have now demanded that Parliament initiate proceedings for Kumar’s removal and have urged the Supreme Court to examine the allegations. Some leaders have also called for an independent investigation into the functioning of the poll panel. 

The Election Commission, however, has rejected the suggestion of an institutional rift. In a joint statement, the Commission said that written notes, observations, technical suggestions and differing views are normal parts of its internal decision-making process. It maintained that its orders and reforms, including those related to SIR, were approved unanimously by the three-member Commission. 

The latest dispute comes months after Opposition MPs had already sought Kumar’s removal in Parliament. In April 2026, 73 Rajya Sabha MPs submitted a fresh notice seeking his removal and cited nine alleged instances of “proven misbehaviour.” Earlier attempts had also been rejected by the presiding authorities. 

The current controversy therefore places the Election Commission under renewed political scrutiny, with Opposition parties questioning its internal decision-making and the Commission insisting that established procedures and unanimous approvals have been followed. The competing claims are likely to keep the functioning of the poll body and the management of electoral rolls at the centre of political and legal debate.