The Election Commission letter row has received a fresh clarification, with the poll body saying correspondence sent by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi to Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan concerned the functioning of an officer on deputation to the Commission.The Election Commission said the letters were not related to any policy matter of the Commission or its IT division. It also clarified that the matter did not concern Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar personally.
According to the Commission’s September 26 statement, the correspondence related to the working of an officer serving on deputation at the poll body.The clarification followed reports about differences among members of the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and the functioning of ECINet, its unified digital platform.The Commission maintained that all decisions concerning the rollout and schedules of the Special Intensive Revision were unanimously approved by its three members.
Election Commission Sets Up Panel To Review ECINet
Election Commission officials addressed concerns over ECINet access and whether centralisation could affect the statutory powers of officers handling electoral rolls. The Commission said field officials have role-based access in line with their statutory powers. It also announced a review committee headed by a Senior Deputy Election Commissioner, with an independent IIT or IIIT expert, to examine ECINet’s compliance with election laws and rules.
The poll body also said future initiatives involving IT modules and portals would be discussed by its Committee of Officers before receiving Commission approval.Additionally, agendas for Commission meetings will be circulated beforehand and minutes issued after meetings, introducing further procedural checks.The Election Commission letter row has attracted political attention amid wider debate over electoral roll revisions and the functioning of the poll panel. The Commission’s latest statement presents its account of the correspondence and its internal decision-making process.
