Shadow on 3 individuals, not institution of ECI: Ex-poll body officers on SIR row
Former Chief Election Commissioner of India OP Rawat said the ongoing controversy over the Election Commission should not be viewed as a shadow over the poll body as a whole, but over the three individuals currently at its helm.
Speaking at the India Today Conclave, Rawat cautioned against drawing conclusions based solely on press notes.
“Jumping to any conclusions based on press notes is hazardous,” he said, arguing that the Election Commission's functioning involves millions of officials and that they cannot be manipulated.
Rawat was referring to the large workforce deployed by the poll body during elections, saying, “They cannot manipulate 15 million people who are running EC.”
“It’s not the ECI as an institution, it’s the three ECs that are in shadow,” Rawat said, referring to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners SS Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
His remarks come amid questions over the functioning of the poll panel during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The Election Commission had on Saturday issued a detailed press note outlining decisions on the SIR process, ECINet, Form 6, claims and objections, as well as addressing questions surrounding an internal communication to the Cabinet Secretary.
But Rawat said the commissioners themselves need to come out in the open and take questions from the public through the press.
“If they do not come out in the open, take questions from the public via the press, then EC will be the sufferer,” he said, adding that the only alternative if they did not do so was to resign.'THINGS ARE NOT AS THEY USED TO BE'
Asked whether he trusted the Election Commission, Rawat said the institution had earlier “set a gold standard,” but suggested that the current controversy warranted some patience before reaching a conclusion.
“Things are not as they used to be. EC set a gold standard,” Rawat said.
“Right now, because of this controversy...such controversies come and go...let’s wait and watch for sometime before making a conclusion by giving them time to come out in the open.”
Asked how long people should wait, former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa said it was unfortunate that such a question was being asked.
“Sad that this question is being asked and there is a trust deficit that’s in the air and the EC has contributed to this perception,” Lavasa said.
These remarks at the India Today Conclave come days after Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners SS Sandhu and Vivek Joshi met at the Election Commission headquarters in New Delhi last week amid questions over the poll panel's functioning during the SIR exercise.
The meeting followed an Indian Express investigation which reported that the Election Commissioners had raised 14 objections over 10 months during the nationwide rollout of the SIR and that they had not been informed about the basis or process behind several decisions.
The Commission subsequently issued a detailed press note outlining a series of decisions concerning the SIR process, ECINet, Form 6, claims and objections, and questions surrounding an internal communication to the Cabinet Secretary.
The ECI said its June 24, 2025 order for the SIR of electoral rolls across all states and Union Territories was issued with the unanimous approval of the Commission and was later upheld by the Supreme Court.
It also clarified that a letter sent to the Cabinet Secretary concerned the functioning of an officer on deputation to the ECI and was not related to any policy matter of the Commission or its IT division.- Ends
