The Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, is the Election Commission’s exercise to revise electoral rolls. It adds new voters and removes ineligible entries. The current row is about how it is being done.

The Opposition alleges that deletions are opaque and that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar took decisions without the knowledge of the two other election commissioners. A media report said the commissioners had objected at least 14 times in ten months. The poll panel says differing views are a normal part of deliberation.

The INDIA bloc has demanded the CEC’s resignation, the scrapping of the SIR and a return to ballot papers. The Supreme Court has asked the poll panel to reply on the claims of unilateral decisions.

On the other side, 42 former judges and retired constitutional office holders have backed the SIR as lawful. In an open letter, they called the attacks on the poll panel a calculated campaign.

What next: the Supreme Court hearing and a protest march in Delhi on October 10 will decide how the standoff moves.