The Indian Express on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, ran an investigative report claiming that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi formally recorded objections at least 14 times over a ten‑month period and that several major rulings were made in the name of the full Commission without their knowledge, describing those actions as “unauthorised and illegal.”
In a rebuttal, the ECI said that “differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberation in any institution” and emphasized that every officer of the Commission is fully authorised to offer suggestions aimed at improving the electoral system.
The commission added that the report’s focus on a handful of internal notes “overlooks the much larger body of approvals, decisions, instructions and initiatives” and asserted that all decisions, including the Systematic Voter Identification (SIR) measures, have been unanimous and approved by both commissioners and the Chief Election Commissioner.
Opposition leaders have seized on the expose, accusing Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of indulging in a “one‑man autocracy” and demanding his removal, thereby heightening political pressure on the election authority ahead of upcoming polls.
The clash highlights ongoing tensions within India’s electoral administration, with the ECI insisting that dissent is part of standard administrative practice, while critics argue that sidelining commissioners could erode confidence in the commission’s impartiality.