New Delhi: A political controversy erupted after reports of differences within the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls triggered criticism from opposition parties.

According to a report, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on several issues, including voter deletions and procedural decisions, during discussions on the voter list revision exercise. The report claimed that objections were recorded multiple times over the past 10 months.

Opposition parties accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of bypassing internal processes and demanded his removal. Congress leaders, including Jairam Ramesh and K C Venugopal, questioned the functioning of the poll body and alleged that the reported developments affected the credibility of the Election Commission.

Congress MP Manish Tewari said that if the reported details were accurate, they raised questions about decision-making within the constitutional body. CPI(M) MP John Brittas also demanded that Parliament consider steps regarding the issue and sought a review of the SIR process.

Former Chief Election Commissioner O P Rawat described the reported differences as serious and raised concerns over changes related to voter registration procedures.

The Election Commission, however, said that the nationwide SIR exercise was being carried out under the supervision of all three Election Commissioners and that decisions taken by the panel were unanimous.

The controversy has intensified the political debate surrounding electoral roll revisions, voter inclusion and deletion procedures. Opposition parties have sought further scrutiny, while the poll body has maintained that the process follows established legal and administrative guidelines.