27 September,2026 03:52 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Eknath Shinde. File Pic
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday demanded an apology from Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his criticism of the Election Commission, accusing him of spreading what Shinde described as false information about differences within the poll panel.
Shinde's remarks came amid a political dispute over the Election Commission's handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The controversy intensified after an investigation by The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on several occasions over decisions and processes related to the revision of electoral rolls.
The Election Commission has rejected the suggestion that the reported differences amounted to a split in the poll panel. In a statement issued after the reports, the Commission said decisions taken over the past year, including those concerning electoral roll revision, were the result of the unanimous decisions of the full Commission.
Shinde said Gandhi should apologise to the public and accused the opposition INDIA alliance of relying on what he called false narratives.
"Rahul Gandhi should apologize to the people of the country. The entire politics of the 'INDIA' alliance can only run on lies, rumors, and 'fake narratives' - this has been proven once again! By spreading fake news about internal differences in the Election Commission, the way the leaders of the 'INDIA' alliance were beating their chests and celebrating has been deflated by the 'joint statement' of all three Election Commissioners, puncturing the air from their balloon of lies," Shinde said in a post on X.
Shinde further alleged that the issue had been used by Gandhi and other opposition leaders to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
"Taking shelter behind this very issue, Rahul Gandhi and the leaders of the 'INDIA' alliance also made a failed attempt to defame Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Home Minister Amit Shah. For defaming our leaders and leveling false accusations against them, Rahul Gandhi and the 'INDIA' alliance should immediately apologize to the people of the country. Continuously defaming constitutional institutions, raising questions on democratic processes, and spreading confusion among the public has become the core nature of this negative alliance," he further said.
The Election Commission's response followed a The Indian Express investigation published on September 23 that reported objections by Sandhu and Joshi on a number of issues connected with the functioning of the poll panel and electoral roll revision. The report said the two commissioners had formally recorded objections at least 14 times over 10 months.
The Commission, however, said that differences in observations during internal deliberations were part of the decision-making process and did not mean that final decisions were not unanimous.
"All these decisions are an outcome of the unanimous decisions of the full Commission in the past one year," the Commission said in its response.
A subsequent report on the issue noted that the SIR order issued on June 24, 2025, was ultimately approved unanimously, although an observation by Sandhu had raised concerns about ensuring that genuine voters and vulnerable groups were not harassed during the exercise.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also defended the Election Commission's position and said the SIR controversy should be examined through official records.
"The controversy around SIR deserves facts, not rumours. The ECI's official record clearly refers to the Commission's order of 24 June 2025 and states that the SIR process moved forward with the unanimous approval of the Commission. The official document is out. Read it before repeating your false claims," Fadnavis said in a post on X.
The SIR process has become a major political issue, with opposition parties raising questions about the manner in which electoral rolls are being revised and the role of the Election Commission in implementing the exercise.
The Indian Express investigation reported that Sandhu and Joshi had raised concerns over several decisions, including issues involving electoral roll data, the functioning of the Commission's technology systems and changes to Form 6, which is used for voter registration.
The reports prompted criticism from opposition parties and leaders, who cited the objections as evidence of differences within the poll panel. The Election Commission has maintained that internal observations and disagreements during deliberations are normal and that the final decisions were taken collectively.
The Commission has also said that a letter sent to the Cabinet Secretary, which became part of the wider controversy, concerned the functioning of an officer on deputation rather than a policy decision of the poll body.
Shinde also said allegations against the government and its leaders would not affect their public standing.
"The aware public of the country has fully understood these political games and at the right time, will once again show them their proper place! The false and fabricated accusations of the INDIA alliance will not have the slightest effect on the image of the NDA's top leadership, because the 140 crore people of the country stand like a rock with PM Modi and Amit Shah," he added.
(With inputs from ANI)
