Election commissioners flag concerns over senior deputy official in letter to cabinet secretary

On July 29, election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi wrote a classified letter to Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan concerning the performance of a senior deputy election commissioner. The correspondence highlighted that work-reallocation orders issued by the officer were not implemented and that oversight of the commission’s IT division had not been withdrawn, indicating internal management issues rather than policy disputes.

Because the grievance involved a subordinate officer, protocol did not require forwarding the letter to the President, which would have been necessary if it targeted Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The episode surfaces as the Election Commission faces allegations of internal discord over the Special Intensive Revision process and the centralisation of the ECINET system, prompting opposition parties to demand Kumar’s resignation and Supreme Court intervention.

The commission defended its decisions as unanimous and announced a review of ECINET by a panel that includes one outlet expert from IITs or IIITs. The ruling BJP has distanced itself from the controversy.