New Delhi : The Election Commission of India has clarified that letters sent by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi to Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan were related to the functioning of a senior officer on deputation, and not to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The clarification came amid reports of differences within the three-member poll panel over administrative responsibilities and the functioning of its digital systems, including ECINet.

According to the ECI, the July 29 communications did not concern any policy decision of the Commission or its IT division. The poll body said the issue involved work redistribution orders issued by an officer on deputation, and maintained that the orders were not implemented after objections were raised by the two Election Commissioners.

The issue had also triggered political reactions, with opposition parties raising questions about electoral-roll management, the Special Intensive Revision exercise and access to election technology. Reports had separately raised concerns about the centralisation of access to electoral databases and the role of field-level election officials.

The ECI has maintained that its decisions have been unanimous and that statutory officers continue to have role-based access to the systems. The Commission has also proposed a technical review of ECINet involving a senior Deputy Election Commissioner and an independent technical expert to examine compliance with relevant laws and rules.

The latest clarification comes as the Commission seeks to address the controversy surrounding internal administrative communications while maintaining that its electoral processes and decisions continue to operate within the prescribed legal framework.

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