00:00So far the opposition was in an all-out war against the Election Commission over India's voter rolls
00:06and now the spotlight is on the poll panel itself.
00:10An Indian Express report has flagged repeated objections from two election commissioners
00:15over the SIR exercise, raising questions over changes to Form 6,
00:21control of electoral data and the way the voter roll revision is being implemented.
00:2714 objections in 10 months, a political storm outside and a denial of any internal rift within the Election Commission.
00:35The Election Commission says it views differing opinions as a normal part of its internal checks and balances.
00:43But opposition, which has gotten a fresh ammunition and warns CEC out, says that this is not acceptable.
00:52The BJP has asserted dissent is part of democracy.
00:56So 14 objections, four big flashpoints and a political storm outside the poll panel.
01:02The question now is not just what was objected to, but why did these objections surface 14 times
01:13and what do they reveal about the SIR process?
01:17Is the Election Commission insulating itself from scrutiny?
01:21Are critical decisions being taken without adequate disclosure?
01:25And if the referee itself is under question, what does that mean for the credibility of elections?
01:32I will be asking all these questions to the guests who will be joining me shortly.
01:36But first up, here's what happened today.
01:41The Election Commission is meant to be the referee of India's elections.
01:46But after the opposition, even poll body members are raising red flags over the voter roll process.
01:53An Indian Express report has now flagged objections raised by two of the three election commissioners,
01:58Sukhbeet Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
02:0214 objections in 10 months over how the voter roll revision was being carried out.
02:10The biggest flashpoint is Form 6, which is used by new voters to register.
02:15The two commissioners reportedly objected to changes, seeking past electoral details,
02:21questioning whether the form could be changed without amending the rules.
02:24The objections also reportedly covered concerns over the centralisation of the voter database and digital access.
02:32With respect to West Bengal, the Election Commissioner questioned appeals against restored voters,
02:38saying the two commissioners and the Chief Election Officer were not informed.
02:42And in Goa, the issue involved voters who were found eligible locally but faced a difficulty
02:48being included in the electoral roll because of software-related glitches.
02:55At the heart of it all is Form 6, the form used to apply for inclusion in the electoral roll.
03:02So, what exactly changed?
03:05Parents and grandparents' SIR details now sought.
03:08Parents' old roll details sought.
03:11Parents' constituency details required.
03:14Parents' booth number required.
03:16Option if parents not found in SIR.
03:19On-line declaration made mandatory via unapproved IT changes.
03:25And these changes triggered objections from both ECs.
03:30And what was an internal disagreement has now become a full-blown political flashpoint.
03:36CEC Gyanesh Kumar is facing attacks from the opposition.
03:41From Rahul Gandhi to Mamata Banerjee,
03:43Akhilesh Yadav to Arvind K. Chriwal,
03:45Leaders have demanded action against the CEC.
04:10This election commission must be arrested.
04:14He has no moral authority to continue and BJP must see they cannot destruct our constitution.
04:25They cannot destruct demolition non-democracy.
04:49EC has rejected claims of internal rift, saying it stands for complete election integrity
04:55and functions strictly under statutory law.
04:58It says internal notes are part of the commission's checks and balances,
05:02while differing views are a normal part of deliberation.
05:06ECI says all commissioners can make suggestions to the CEC.
05:10The poll body also says it took unanimous decisions over the past year.
05:17The BJP too has backed the EC, saying differences during deliberations are a sign of democracy
05:23and has pointed out that the opposition won seats, it had claimed, were compromised by the poll body.
05:30All the opposition parties have fallen into the trap.
05:34The trap where they said that the election commissioner and this government was a dictatorial government.
05:40Rather, I would say that this is pure democracy.
05:43Election commission of India, nor any constitutional body in India,
05:49is under a dictatorial rule.
05:51They are functioning in a democratic manner,
05:55and of course they are upholding the democracy of this country.
06:01As War of Words continues, one question remains.
06:05Are the 14 objections routine deliberations or signs of deeper differences within the poll body?
06:12Bureau Report, India Today.
