India's Election Commission is in the eye of a storm again

India's Election Commission (ECI) is facing yet another crisis of credibility after a series of fresh allegations of irregularities against its chief. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.

One of the most trusted public institutions in the world's largest democracy, the three-member commission is headed by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and includes Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi as commissioners.

The latest row broke out after a report in the Indian Express newspaper said that in the past few months, CEC Kumar had been repeatedly questioned by his two colleagues over the integrity of the voter database, changes to the way new voters are enrolled and the security of the electoral rolls itself.

The report said that Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi objected to several decisions which were taken without their knowledge. There were at least 14 times in the past 10 months when Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi were kept in the dark, it added.

In one instance, the report says, the two commissioners even wrote a letter complaining to the chief secretary, the top bureaucrat in the Indian government.

The revelations have created a furore, with opposition leaders demanding Kumar's resignation. Sandhu and Joshi have not publicly commented on the report but the ECI said in a statement that "differing views" were part of the "decision-making process".

The report comes at a time when the commission is carrying out a controversial country-wide revision of the electoral database.

The Election Commission says the aim of this Special Intensive Revision - better known by its acronym SIR - is to ensure that no ineligible name remains on the rolls.

It says the last revision was done nearly a quarter of a century ago and the voters' list needs to be updated to account for those who have died, left the country or are registered in more than one place as they've moved to a new address.

But the exercise has been mired in controversy from the start with the opposition parties accusing CEC Kumar of manipulating voters' list to favour Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during elections. Both the BJP and the Election Commission have rejected the accusations.

But the latest revelations are being seen as much more serious as they are about questions being raised from within the Election Commission about the way its chief is functioning.

From the start, questions have lingered over the robustness of the revision, which has seen 130 million names from across India struck off the voters' list.

Millions of voters have also complained to the authorities that their names are missing, saying the new process set by SIR to register as voters is too cumbersome and involves furnishing documents that many don't have.

Former CEC SY Quraishi, who says he has "been a critic of the SIR from the beginning", told news agency PTI that he always wondered why Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi had been "keeping quiet".

"[Now] I realised that very silently and quietly they were protesting, they were writing notes. That is a good thing, they have gone up in my esteem," he said.

The revelations have also provided fresh ammunition to the opposition parties and critics who have repeatedly claimed that SIR is being used to exclude their voters for the BJP's benefit and that elections in India are no longer free and fair.

On Wednesday, angry opposition politicians once again questioned the sanctity of India's election process and demanded that CEC Kumar resign, saying he had no right to continue in office, with some even calling for his arrest.

The charge was led by MP and senior Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi who has repeatedly accused the Commission of "stealing votes from the opposition". On Wednesday, he also accused the Commission and its officers of "treason".

"Vote chori [theft] is a crime against the Indian people and a direct attack on our constitution. The BJP, RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh] and EC who organised it have committed an act of treason. Justice will be served," he posted on X. He also shared a 15-second video telling the commission and its officers that "your time will come. You cannot get away".

Mamata Banerjee, leader of the regional Mamata All India Trinamool Congress, called for Kumar's arrest and demanded fresh polls with the pre-SIR voters' list in the state of West Bengal which she lost to the BJP in the recent elections. At least 2.7 million voters were removed in the state during SIR - Banerjee and her supporters say that cost them dozens of seats and the election win.

Within hours of the Indian Express report and statements from opposition leaders, the Election Commission put out a statement defending its way of working.

"Differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberation in any institution. They are a part of the decision-making process before a final decision is taken.

"Not only the three Commissioners, but every officer of the Commission is fully authorised to give his suggestions to the Commission for improving the electoral system," the statement said.

The note said that highlighting "certain specific internal notes and observations spread over the period of 10 months while overlooking the much larger body of approvals, decisions, instructions" was unjustified.