New Delhi. The Election Commission has issued a statement on the differences between the Chief Election Commissioner and the two Election Commissioners and the news published in relation to the SIR. The Election Commission has said that it works under the provisions of the Constitution. The Commission has said that it is a multi-member constitutional body. In which written comments, suggestions, technical opinion and internal investigation are the normal procedures. The Commission has also said that all its work has been in accordance with the law and the instructions of the Commission. Its decisions are taken following the prescribed legal procedure.
The Commission has said that the appointment, service conditions and tenure of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners are decided under the 2023 Act. The Commission has said that before any decision is finalised, there is discussion among the members. During this period, raising different opinions, suggestions or administrative questions is a normal process and their objective is to protect the rights of voters by strengthening the election system. The Election Commission has said that all comments are included in the process before the final decision. According to the Election Commission, apart from the three Election Commissioners, officers of the Commission can also give suggestions to improve the electoral system. The suggestions of the election commissioners were to improve the electoral process. Therefore, viewing internal comments or suggestions directly as differences of opinion within the organization does not provide a clear picture.
The Election Commission has said that highlighting only a few selected internal notes and comments of the last 10 months reveals only a part of the picture. Whereas, during the same period, a large number of approvals, decisions, instructions and new initiatives have also been taken. These also include SIR. According to the Commission, decisions were taken unanimously in the last one year. The Commission has cited many states and said that it has successfully conducted the election process there. During this period, administrative and operational arrangements were also made on a large scale. The Commission has said that in this process many approvals and instructions were issued and all were done under the full Commission process. The Commission stressed that the entire functioning should not be assessed on the basis of just a few internal observations.
On the security of data of digital platform ECInet and voter list, the Election Commission has said that ECInet works under strict data security protocols. IT security checks and audits take place to prevent data tampering or alteration. The work of adding or removing names from the voter list is done by DEO and AERO as per the rights prescribed under the law. The Commission has also said that it is committed to fulfill the responsibilities given under the Constitution with complete honesty and integrity. He described his role as important. Also said that internal suggestions and comments are part of the work. These should not be considered separately from the final decisions.