Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday, 27 September 2026, came out in defence of the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, accusing the Opposition of fabricating 'narratives' designed to mislead the public. The remarks were made at a press conference in Dehradun, a day after the ECI issued an official statement to address reports of internal discord and clarify the circumstances under which a letter was written by ECI functionaries to Cabinet Secretary T.V. Somanathan.

Dhami's Charge Against the Opposition

Without naming specific individuals, Chief Minister Dhami directed his criticism at what he described as a coordinated effort to manufacture confusion. 'An attempt has been made by the leader of a certain party, along with its other leaders, to create a certain narrative that has created confusion among people. This is not happening for the first time. Whenever they create such a narrative, it is always proven false,' he said.

The remarks were widely seen as targeting the Indian National Congress (Congress) and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, who have been vocal critics of the SIR process. Dhami maintained that while everyone has the right to raise questions, 'allegations should be based on facts and records.'

What the ECI's Statement Said

Citing the ECI's press statement, Dhami pushed back against characterisations of the Commission's internal communications as evidence of institutional division. 'It won't be right to present the 'internal objections' as internal differences within the Election Commission,' he said.

He highlighted that the ECI has directed Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to personally visit the homes of voters whose names are listed as 'unmapped' or whose entries contain 'logical discrepancies', rather than requiring those voters to appear at an ECI office for a personal hearing — a measure he said was designed to minimise inconvenience to ordinary citizens.

Provisions for Marginalised Voters

Chief Minister Dhami also pointed to a decision to establish help desks and special desks for citizens residing in night shelters, saying the initiative would ensure that homeless and transient individuals are not excluded from the voter list. He framed the SIR exercise as an inclusionary effort rather than a disenfranchisement drive.

'The objective of the SIR process is not to deprive any eligible voter of their rights, but to make the electoral roll clean and updated,' Dhami stated.

Background: The SIR Controversy

The Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls has drawn sharp criticism from Opposition parties, who have alleged that the process could result in large-scale deletion of voter names, particularly among marginalised communities. The ECI convened a meeting on Saturday and issued a public statement to address what it called mischaracterisations of the exercise. The internal letter to Cabinet Secretary Somanathan, reportedly flagging concerns about the SIR methodology, had become a flashpoint in the debate.

This comes amid a broader and ongoing battle between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress over electoral processes ahead of several state-level polls. With Opposition parties continuing to press the issue, the ECI's next communication on BLO deployment timelines is likely to determine how the controversy develops.