ECI Internal Conflict: Ten Months, 14 Notes – Objections Between Election Commissioners Revealed
A detailed look at the 14 official notes exchanged between Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi over ten months, revealing significant disagreements on electoral processes, IT systems, and administrative authority within the ECI.
Ten Months, 14 Notes: The Objections on Record
A remarkable internal exchange of 14 official notes between Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi has come to light, revealing deep-seated disagreements over electoral administration, IT systems, and procedural authority within the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Key Timeline of Objections
| # | Date | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 28, 2025 | Sandhu: Letters and orders issued in EC's name without Commission's approval |
| 2 | Apr 16, 2026 | Sandhu: Getting to know about new IT modules and portals from media |
| 3 | Apr 16, 2026 | Sandhu: Official communications issued without Commission's approval |
| 4 | Apr 16, 2026 | Joshi: For over a year, no agenda before minutes after Commission's meetings |
| 5 | Apr 16 — Joshi | Officers on foreign trips without Commission's approval |
| 6 | Apr 24 — Joshi | Reiterates no official communications without Commission's approval |
| 7 | May 16 — Joshi | Don't change Form 6 (new voter) without Govt approval; Sandhu agrees on May 19 |
| 8 | May 29 — Joshi | Warns electoral roll database is being centralised, needs audit |
| 9 | Jul 29 — Joshi to Cabinet Secretary | Official redistributing work without Commission's knowledge |
| 10 | Jul 29 — Sandhu to Cabinet Secretary | Reiterates work roster issue, seeks action against official |
| 11 | Jul 30 | Joshi and Sandhu strike down new allocation order |
| 12 | Aug 12 — Sandhu | Who authorised appeals on EC's behalf before West Bengal's tribunals? |
| 13 | Aug 13 — Sandhu | Form-6 change is 'unauthorised and illegal' |
| 14 | Aug 14 — Sandhu | Field officers can't access ECI Net system; DG(It) has no power to restrict |
Sandhu endorsed point 5 on July 13. Five of the 14 notes were copied to the Chief Election Commissioner.
Meet the Two Election Commissioners
Sukhbir Singh Sandhu
- Joined as Election Commissioner on March 15, 2024
- 1988-batch IAS officer of the Uttarakhand cadre
- Served as Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand (July 2021 to January 2024)
- Chairman of NHAI (2019-2021)
- Principal Secretary to four Chief Ministers across three political parties (2007-2014)
- MBBS from Government Medical College, Amritsar; Masters in History from Guru Nanak Dev University
Vivek Joshi
- Joined as Election Commissioner on February 19, 2025
- 1989-batch IAS officer of the Haryana cadre
- Served as Chief Secretary of Haryana
- Previously served in Ministries of Textiles, Women and Child Development, and Finance
- PhD in International Economics from Graduate Institute, Geneva
- B.E. in Mechanical Engineering (1987) from Roorkee University (now IIT Roorkee)
Significance
This public documentation of internal disagreements between two sitting Election Commissioners is highly unusual in Indian administrative history. The objections range from procedural concerns about IT system access and voter form modifications to larger questions of authority and accountability within the Commission's workings.