OPPOSITION DEMANDS FRESH POLLS AFTER REPORT OF EC INTERNAL OBJECTIONS

September 24, 2026

NEW DELHI: Opposition parties have demanded fresh elections in Bihar, Maharashtra, Delhi, Haryana and West Bengal following reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections to several decisions concerning electoral-roll revisions.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav alleged that the Election Commission had been misused to benefit the BJP and questioned changes to the retention period for voting and counting records. He demanded fresh elections in Bihar and West Bengal and called for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The reported objections, said to have been raised on at least 14 occasions over 10 months, reportedly concerned the Special Intensive Revision process, voter registration, deletions and restoration of names, and electoral-roll procedures. Opposition parties have demanded action against the CEC, a halt to the SIR exercise and fresh polls in states where elections have already been held.

The Election Commission rejected the suggestion that the reported differences reflected a breakdown within the institution, stating that differing views, observations and technical suggestions are part of normal deliberations. It maintained that final decisions, including those related to SIR, were taken unanimously.