A political controversy has erupted over the functioning of the Election Commission of India after The Indian Express reported that two of the three Election Commissioners recorded objections at least 14 times over 10 months on decisions related to electoral rolls and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

The report, published on September 23 by journalist Ritika Chopra, triggered sharp reactions from Opposition parties, which questioned the poll panel’s functioning and demanded action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The Election Commission rejected suggestions of an internal split, saying differences and observations are part of institutional deliberations and maintaining that its decisions over the past year were taken unanimously.