Differing views and observations were a normal part of deliberation in any institution, the Election Commission of India (ECI) said on Wednesday as it pushed back against criticism of its functioning and reports of internal dissent.
News reports had said election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections at least 14 times in 10 months, describing decisions as having been taken without their knowledge.
ECI said any “operational queries or inputs” by commission members were part of standard administrative practice aimed at “safeguarding voter rights” and added that suggestions given by commissioners were for further improving the electoral process es. ECI’s response did not dispute this claim but said these were routine exchanges.
ECI also dismissed criticism of its software and digital networks. “The commission’s digital platforms, such as ECINet, operate under strict data security protocols to prevent unauthorized tampering, manipulation, etc. IT security checks and audit controls are standard cybersecurity measures implemented across national databases.
Statutory authorities, including Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and District Election Officers (DEOs), function as per statutory powers for registration and deletion under law,” it said.
