NEW DELHI: Amid reported differences within the Election Commission of India (ECI), a work allocation order issued on July 28 has emerged as a key point of contention after it altered the distribution of administrative, IT and grievance-related responsibilities among senior officials.
Sources said Election Commissioners SS Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected to the revised arrangement, following which the earlier July 23 allocation was verbally restored. But no separate written order was issued to formally record the restoration, they said.
The controversy further gained renewed significance following the premature repatriation of Deputy Election Commissioner Sanjay Kumar to his parent cadre on personal grounds under a Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) order dated August 24, 2026.
Kumar had earlier been responsible for electoral rolls, IT and Grievances/Public Grievance Redressal System (PGRS) under a work allocation order issued on September 23, 2025.
Although Director General (IT) Seema Khanna handled a substantial part of the day-to-day IT operations, the formal reporting structure required her to report to Kumar on IT matters, with the chain ultimately extending to the Election Commission.
The July 28 order changed that arrangement and redistributed responsibilities among several Deputy Election Commissioners. With Kumar subsequently leaving the ECI and no Deputy Election Commissioner-level officer now positioned between the DG (IT) and the Commission, the written order has assumed greater significance.
The sources said Sandhu and Joshi raised objections to the July 28 allocation, following which the matter was discussed within the Commission. The issue was also referred to in separate letters written by the two Commissioners to Cabinet Secretary on July 29. The sources, however, declined to disclose the contents of the letters.
The July 28 order was issued by then Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Manish Garg, who was serving as officer in charge of administrative matters. Deputy Election Commissioner Bhanu Pratap Yeturu, who had been assigned administrative responsibilities, was on leave at the time. Garg consequently issued the order in his capacity as the official handling administrative matters, sources said.
The revised order marked a departure from the September 23, 2025 arrangement, particularly in relation to IT and grievance-related work. It also changed the distribution of responsibilities among other Deputy Election Commissioners, prompting questions over the procedure followed in issuing the new allocation.
According to sources, work allocation orders in the ECI have traditionally been placed before the full Commission, with final approval taken at that level.
Such orders determine not only the responsibilities assigned to senior officials but also the formal channels through which departments report to and place matters before the Commission. The dispute over the July 28 order has therefore raised questions both about the substance of the revised allocation and the process through which it was brought into effect.
