An investigation by The Indian Express into differences within the Election Commission has triggered a political confrontation over the functioning of the poll panel. The report said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally objected to several decisions and processes related to electoral-roll revision.
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The findings prompted Opposition leaders to question Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's role, with some demanding his resignation.
The Election Commission, however, has maintained that the decisions taken over the past year, including those related to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, were unanimous. It said differences and observations among members are part of the deliberative process within a multi-member institution.
The BJP has also backed the Commission. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra described dissent among the Election Commissioners as a sign of a ‘vibrant democracy’ and said the SIR exercise was ultimately based on consensus. The party has also argued that the Opposition is attempting to undermine a constitutional institution.
But that raises a question: Why is the BJP backing the CEC and the ECI's process rather than calling for greater scrutiny of the concerns raised by two Election Commissioners?
The Opposition has also questioned why the BJP is taking on the role of spokesperson for the Election Commission.
Congress leader Priyank Kharge said on X: “Why is the BJP so desperate to defend the Election Commission instead of allowing the Election Commission to defend itself? If there is nothing to hide, let the Election Commission face the questions directly.”
Why is the BJP so desperate to defend the Election Commission instead of allowing the Election Commission to defend itself?
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) September 26, 2026
If there is nothing to hide, let the Election Commission face the questions directly.
BJP leaders should stop acting as its unofficial spokespersons. Let…
The scale of SIR
The issue has political significance for the BJP because the party is backing the legality and credibility of an electoral-roll revision exercise being conducted across states where it governs as well as states where it is contesting elections.
The SIR began in Bihar in June 2025 and has since expanded to 30 states and Union Territories. So far, more than 13 crore names have been removed from draft electoral rolls during the exercise.
Opposition claims that its political significance is particularly sharp in states with strong regional rivals or closely contested elections. Opposition parties have alleged that SIR and ECINet could enable large-scale deletions and exclude eligible voters, potentially affecting their support bases.
West Bengal is one example. Reports have pointed to millions of voter deletions, with the number of deletions exceeding winning margins in several constituencies. Similar concerns have been raised in other competitive states, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
The BJP and Election Commission have rejected these allegations and maintained that the exercise is a lawful revision of electoral rolls.
Electoral stakes
For the BJP, the stakes therefore extend beyond the current ECI dispute. If SIR is widely questioned, election results in affected states could face greater scrutiny. By backing the ECI's process, the BJP is also reinforcing its position that voter-roll revisions are legitimate and that electoral outcomes should be judged on the basis of the revised rolls.
By backing the ECI and describing SIR as a lawful exercise, the BJP is also pushing back against the Opposition's argument that the electoral process has been compromised.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi stressed on this point recently. She claimed that the BJP was protecting the Election Commissioner". "If an Election Commissioner is committing such a serious crime against democracy, it is practically impossible that he is doing it without the full support of the leadership," she said.
#WATCH | Malappuram, Keralam: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra says, "... They (BJP) are protecting the election commissioner, but more importantly, they are protecting their leadership. It is out of the question for the election commissioner to be indulging in such serious… https://t.co/IEulPAal74 pic.twitter.com/hk0drlkePr
— ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2026
Political narrative
The BJP has built a long-term political narrative around its electoral victories, pointing to governance, welfare and national-security credentials, while portraying the Opposition's repeated allegations of ‘vote theft’ as an attempt to explain away electoral defeats.
Its broader argument has been that it wins elections on its performance, while the Opposition questions the results.
Acknowledging serious flaws in SIR or ECINet could weaken this political narrative and give greater weight to Opposition claims that the electoral system is skewed in the BJP's favour.
That, however, does not establish that protecting this political narrative is the reason for the BJP's current position. The party has publicly framed its backing instead as support for the Election Commission and its stated process.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi famously hailed the Election Commission during a Lex Fridman podcast in 2025, calling for a case study into the body's functioning. "In India, we have a neutral and independent Election Commission that conducts elections and takes all decisions. This in itself is such a big bright story that major universities around the world should conduct case studies on its management," Modi said.
In India, we have a neutral and independent Election Commission that conducts elections and takes all decisions
PM Narendra Modi, Lex Fridman podcast, 2025
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BJP's institutional image
The BJP has also sought to project itself as a party that supports strong constitutional institutions and institutional reforms.
Accepting that the Election Commission is compromised, without the concerns being independently established, could strengthen Opposition claims of institutional capture and challenge the BJP's argument that India's constitutional institutions remain capable of functioning independently.
The party has therefore focused on the ECI's position that the three Commissioners ultimately reached decisions through the Commission's internal deliberative process.
Coalition and allies
The controversy is not confined to the BJP and the Opposition. Some NDA allies have taken a more cautious position, calling on the Election Commission to address concerns and protect public confidence.
LJP (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan, for instance, said the CEC should clarify the concerns raised after the Indian Express investigation and said it would be problematic if people began to doubt the electoral process. Other NDA allies, including the TDP and Rashtriya Lok Morcha, have also called for clarification from the Commission.
The BJP’s firm backing of the ECI after its ‘unanimity’ clarification also helps keep the disagreement from becoming a wider issue within the NDA coalition and its allies.
Risk of losing electoral credibility
By backing the ECI's position that SIR decisions were reached unanimously, the BJP is keeping the debate focused on the Commission's explanation of how the process worked.
But if the ECI is seen as biased, or its electoral-roll systems are seen as technically flawed, concerns could extend beyond the immediate dispute. It could lead to demands for repolls or judicial intervention in recent elections, questions about past election results and, over time, affect public trust in elections.
For the BJP, which is the ruling party and a major participant in India's electoral contests, the credibility of the electoral system has clear political importance.
In short, the BJP's decision to back the ECI is not simply about the current dispute between the three Election Commissioners. It is also tied to the party's stated position that the Commission remains a credible constitutional institution and that the SIR is a lawful electoral-roll revision exercise.
