{"id":126000,"date":"2026-09-24T11:26:08","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T05:56:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=126000"},"modified":"2026-09-24T11:26:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T05:56:08","slug":"election-commission-sir-row","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/election-commission-sir-row\/","title":{"rendered":"Election Commission SIR Row, 14 Objections, Powers, 3 Member Structure"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>Election Commission of India (ECI)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is in the news over reported differences among its three members during the <\/span><b>Special Intensive Revision (SIR)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of electoral rolls. Election Commissioners <\/span><b>Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on issues related to voter registration, deletion and restoration of names, Form 6, electoral-roll databases and election software.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Three-Member Structure of ECI<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/election-commission-of-india-eci\/\" target=\"_blank\">Election Commission of India<\/a> (ECI)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a multi-member body consisting of <\/span><b>one Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and two Election Commissioners (ECs)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The three members have <\/span><b>equal powers and status<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, with decisions generally taken through a majority.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>From Single to Multi-Member Body:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The ECI was established in <\/span><b>1950 as a single-member body<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> headed by the CEC. It became a multi-member body in <\/span><b>October 1989<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and was restored to the present <\/span><b>three-member structure on October 1, 1993<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Equal Powers:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The CEC and Election Commissioners have <\/span><b>equal decision-making powers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> within the Commission.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Majority-Based Decisions:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ECI decisions are generally taken by <\/span><b>majority<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, meaning the CEC does not have a separate power to overrule the other Election Commissioners.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Salary and Status:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The <\/span><b>CEC and Election Commissioners<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> receive salaries and benefits as provided under law; their service conditions are governed by the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/chief-election-commissioner-and-other-election-commissioners-act-2023\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>How Does ECI Take Decisions?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The ECI is a <\/span><b>three-member constitutional body<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> consisting of the Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners. The <\/span><b><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/chief-election-commissioner\/\" target=\"_blank\">Chief Election Commissioner<\/a> (CEC)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is the head of the Commission, but the other Election Commissioners also participate in decision-making.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under <\/span><b>Section 18 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the Commission should conduct its business <\/span><b>as far as possible unanimously<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. If the members differ in opinion, the matter is decided by the <\/span><b>majority view<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Therefore, in a three-member Commission:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Two members supporting a decision = majority decision<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The law also provides that the Commission&#8217;s procedure and allocation of work should be settled through a unanimous decision.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What is Form 6?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>Form 6<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is the application form used by an eligible person for inclusion of their name in the electoral roll. It is important because a person generally needs to be registered in the electoral roll to vote in an election.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the report, Election Commissioner <\/span><b>Vivek Joshi objected to the change<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, saying that Form 6 could not be modified in this manner without following the applicable legal procedure. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu reportedly agreed with the objection.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The issue therefore concerns the relationship between <\/span><b>statutory election rules and administrative changes to election forms<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Powers and Functions of Election Commission of India<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>Election Commission of India (ECI)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a constitutional authority responsible for supervising and conducting elections in India. Its powers cover the <\/span><b>conduct of elections, electoral rolls, political parties, election symbols, the Model Code of Conduct and election-related compliance<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Conduct of Elections:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The ECI conducts elections to the <\/span><b><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/lok-sabha\/\" target=\"_blank\">Lok Sabha<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/rajya-sabha\/\" target=\"_blank\">Rajya Sabha<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/state-legislature\/\" target=\"_blank\">State Legislative Assemblies<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/president-of-india\/\" target=\"_blank\">President<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/vice-president-of-india\/\" target=\"_blank\">Vice-President<\/a><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It prepares the election schedule, supervises polling and counting, and coordinates with election officials and other authorities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Preparation of Electoral Rolls:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The ECI supervises the preparation, revision and updating of electoral rolls. It ensures that eligible citizens can be included and that electoral records are corrected, updated or removed according to the applicable law.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Supervision of Election Machinery:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The Commission directs and supervises election officials at different levels, including <\/span><b>Chief Electoral Officers, District Election Officers and Electoral Registration Officers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, to ensure that election-related procedures are followed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Recognition of Political Parties:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The ECI registers political parties and determines their recognition as <\/span><b>National or State parties<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> based on the criteria prescribed under election law.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Allotment of Election Symbols:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The Commission regulates the allotment and reservation of election symbols to political parties and candidates under the <\/span><b>Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Model Code of Conduct:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The ECI implements the <\/span><b><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/model-code-of-conduct\/\" target=\"_blank\">Model Code of Conduct<\/a> (MCC)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> during elections and issues directions to political parties and candidates to maintain a level playing field and ensure disciplined campaigning.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Monitoring Election Expenditure:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The Commission monitors election expenditure by candidates and political parties and takes action in cases of violations under applicable election laws.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Advisory Functions:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The ECI provides its opinion to the <\/span><b>President or <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/governor\/\" target=\"_blank\">Governor<\/a><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on certain matters relating to the disqualification of Members of Parliament and State Legislatures, as provided under the Constitution.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Quasi-Judicial Functions:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The Commission performs certain quasi-judicial functions, including matters related to <\/span><b>political-party recognition, election symbols and disputes involving recognised political parties<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Ensuring Free and Fair Elections:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The ECI can issue directions and take administrative measures within its constitutional and legal authority to ensure that elections are conducted in an <\/span><b>orderly, transparent and lawful manner<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Also Read:- <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/ecinet-form-6\/\" target=\"_blank\">ECINET Form 6<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><b>Important Laws Related to ECI<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>Election Commission of India (ECI)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> functions under the Constitution and several election-related laws and rules. These laws cover <\/span><b><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/electoral-roll-revision-in-india\/\" target=\"_blank\">electoral rolls<\/a>, election conduct, voter registration, political parties and election procedures<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Constitution of India, Articles 324-329:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Part XV of the Constitution provides the basic constitutional framework for elections. <\/span><b>Article 324<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> gives the ECI superintendence, direction and control over electoral rolls and elections.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/representation-of-the-people-act-1950\/\" target=\"_blank\">Representation of the People Act, 1950<\/a>:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Mainly deals with <\/span><b>electoral rolls, voter registration, qualifications for registration and allocation of seats<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Representation of the People Act, 1951:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Covers the <\/span><b>conduct of elections, qualifications and disqualifications of candidates, corrupt practices, election offences and election disputes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Registration of Electors Rules, 1960:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Provides the rules and procedures for <\/span><b>preparation, revision and correction of electoral rolls<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> under the 1950 Act.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Conduct of Election Rules, 1961:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Provides detailed procedures for <\/span><b>nominations, polling, counting, declaration of results and other election processes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Provides the statutory framework concerning the <\/span><b>appointment, service conditions and functioning of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Provides the framework for <\/span><b>recognition of political parties and reservation\/allotment of election symbols<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Election Commission of India Act, 2023<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>Election Commission Act, 2023<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> regulates the appointment, service conditions and functioning of the <\/span><b>Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioners (ECs)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Appointment:<\/b> <b>President of India<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> appoints the CEC and other Election Commissioners on the <\/span><b>recommendation of a Selection Committee<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> comprising the <\/span><b>Prime Minister, <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/role-of-a-lok-sabhas-leader-of-opposition\/\" target=\"_blank\">Leader of Opposition<\/a> in the Lok Sabha, and a Union <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/cabinet-ministers-of-india\/\" target=\"_blank\">Cabinet Minister<\/a> nominated by the <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/prime-minister\/\" target=\"_blank\">Prime Minister<\/a><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Three-member structure:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The Election Commission consists of the <\/span><b>CEC and such number of Election Commissioners as the President may fix<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Decision-making:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ECI matters should, as far as possible, be decided unanimously; if members disagree, the <\/span><b>majority view prevails<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Service conditions:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Specifies provisions relating to the <\/span><b>term of office, salary, allowances and other conditions of service<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the CEC and ECs.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Removal of Election Commissioners<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>Chief Election Commissioner (CEC)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and other Election Commissioners have different removal protections under <\/span><b>Article 324 of the Constitution<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the <\/span><b>2023 Act<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>CEC:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Can be removed by the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/president-of-india\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>President<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> only in the same manner and on the same grounds as a <\/span><b><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/supreme-court-of-india\/\" target=\"_blank\">Supreme Court<\/a> judge<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Other Election Commissioners:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Can be removed by the <\/span><b>President only on the recommendation of the CEC<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Resignation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The CEC or any Election Commissioner can resign by submitting a written resignation to the <\/span><b>President<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Protection of tenure:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> These provisions are intended to provide legal safeguards for the independence of the Election Commission.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Tenure:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The CEC and other Election Commissioners hold office for <\/span><b>6 years or until they attain 65 years of age, whichever is earlier<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Election Commission of India faces reported differences during SIR over voter rolls, Form 6 and election software, highlighting its three-member structure and majority-based decisions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":125980,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[786],"tags":[2218,10459,10460],"class_list":["post-126000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-general-studies","tag-election-commission","tag-election-commission-sir-row","tag-sir-row","no-featured-image-padding"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126000"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126000\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":126005,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126000\/revisions\/126005"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/125980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}