Administrative Escalation at the Poll Body

In an unprecedented escalation of administrative friction within the Election Commission of India (ECI), two Election Commissioners—Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi—formally wrote separate letters to Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan on July 29, 2026. The correspondence, brought to light through Right to Information (RTI) disclosures, raises serious objections regarding the conduct of a senior Commission official and demands appropriate administrative action.

The core of the dispute centers on senior Deputy Election Commissioner Maneesh Garg and an executive order he issued modifying the portfolio allocations among senior leadership within the poll panel. According to the documents, the two Commissioners alleged that these sweeping administrative changes were executed unilaterally without prior consultation or discussion with the Commission or the affected officers.

Sequence of Events

Detailing the timeline in his official communication, Dr. Sandhu noted that Garg was handed the additional charge of the Administration Division on July 28, during the temporary leave of Deputy Election Commissioner Bhanu Prakash Yeturu. Within hours of stepping into the role as link officer, Garg issued a directive revising work distributions among Senior Deputy Election Commissioners, Deputy Election Commissioners, Director Generals, and equivalent ranks.

Dr. Sandhu explicitly stated that the order was issued "without discussing or informing the revised allocation of work with pecans or the undersigned." He further alleged that Garg assigned responsibilities to himself as well as to personnel senior or equivalent to his own rank, noting that similar unilateral directives had been issued during Garg's previous tenure heading the Administration Division.

"This has happened in spite of repeated and explicit oral and written instructions to all concerned officers by the undersigned against taking such actions without prior discussion/approval of the Commission," Dr. Sandhu wrote, asserting that the actions violated Sections 18(1) and 18(2) of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023.

Allegations of Denied Access

Echoing these concerns, Dr. Vivek Joshi filed a parallel complaint with the Cabinet Secretary, corroborating the procedural violations. Dr. Joshi added that his attempts to independently review the administrative file were blocked, stating that when he requested the relevant records from the Administration Division, access was denied.

This administrative dispute unfolds against a backdrop of broader questions surrounding internal consensus at the poll panel. Previous reports have highlighted instances of divergent views among top election officials regarding electoral roll revisions and voter database management, pointing to a tense operational environment inside the constitutional authority.

As the Cabinet Secretary reviews the communications, the latest RTI disclosures underscore mounting calls for stricter adherence to governance protocols and collaborative decision-making at the highest levels of India's election machinery.