Hello,
What happens when the rules governing your right to vote are changed behind the closed doors of a private WhatsApp group?
In our latest investigation we uncover exactly that.
We reveal that senior ECI officials in West Bengal bypassed written orders to issue "informal" instructions orally or via WhatsApp. These messages didn't just supplement the rules, they actively contradicted the ECI's own written mandates for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
Government regulations bar officers from operating on the basis of informal communications. Regulations strictly require all orders and communications between officials, including those in the ECI, to be put down on formal records and filing systems to ensure accountability and transparency.
Yet we found that this rule was defied multiple times in West Bengal. In one case, officials preponed the formal deadline for citizens to submit forms for inclusion on the basis of an informal order given by West Bengal’s most senior election officer on a WhatsApp group.
As the SIR juggernaut hurtles forward, the Commission continues to reshape the rules of the game mid-play. This investigation marks the first time it has been irrefutably proven that the ECI has abandoned even the semblance of a paper trail, opting instead to manage the democratic process through a black box of informal commands.
Read our latest investigation here: Verified: ECI’s top West Bengal officer sent orders to state officials for SIR on WhatsApp
The Reporter’s Collective has been exposing the lacunae in how SIR is being pushed without proper rules and procedures. Our stories under the Electoral Roll Project have highlighted how SIR is being poorly implemented, and many of them reached the apex court.
Your support has made this project possible. Your generosity with your donations and suggestions ensured we remained on track. Please continue to read our work.
Warm Regards,
Ayushi Kar
Reporter
The Reporters’ Collective