Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has questioned the Election Commission of India over changes made to the online Form 6 used for registering new voters. He also raised questions about the role of Tata Consultancy Services in implementing the changes on the Election Commission’s online voter registration platform.
In a post on social media on October 1, Rahul Gandhi asked which official within the Election Commission had instructed Tata Consultancy Services to make the changes and which official at the company had approved them. He also questioned whether TCS had been pressured to implement the changes. These are allegations and questions raised by Gandhi and should not be treated as established findings.
The controversy centres on an additional declaration that was incorporated into the online Form 6 during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Form 6 is the statutory application used by eligible citizens to seek inclusion in the electoral roll as new voters.
According to an investigation by The Indian Express, the additional section asked applicants to provide information about whether their own name, or the name of a parent or grandparent, appeared in electoral rolls prepared during an earlier intensive revision. The report said the additional section was not formally marked as mandatory, but applicants could not complete the online submission without responding to it.
The issue became controversial after Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi reportedly raised objections to the additional requirement. According to the reported internal records, the two commissioners questioned whether the statutory Form 6 could be changed without amending the relevant rules.
The Election Commission has presented a different position. It has said that the statutory Form 6 itself was not legally amended and that the additional declaration was linked specifically to the Special Intensive Revision process. The Commission has also stated that forms prescribed under the applicable rules would be used during periods when SIR was not being conducted.
The controversy intensified after the Election Commission announced changes to the online process. On September 30, the Commission removed the additional SIR-related declaration from the ECINET application and portal in states where the Special Intensive Revision had already been completed. The additional declaration continued to be available in states and Union Territories where the SIR exercise was still underway.
Rahul Gandhi’s latest remarks came amid a wider political dispute between opposition parties and the Election Commission over the revision of electoral rolls. Opposition parties have raised concerns about the conduct of the SIR process and have demanded greater transparency and accountability from the poll panel. Reuters reported that opposition parties had announced plans for protests over alleged manipulation of voter lists. The Election Commission has maintained that its decisions and orders follow established legal procedures.
The issue has also reached the legal sphere. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a petition challenging aspects of the functioning of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the nationwide Special Intensive Revision exercise. The petition raises questions about the decision-making process within the multi-member Election Commission. The Election Commission has disputed the interpretation of internal communications and said differing views within an institution can occur during deliberations.
For new voters, Form 6 is an important part of the voter registration process. Any changes to the online application process can therefore have a direct impact on people seeking to enrol in the electoral roll for the first time. The debate surrounding the additional declaration has particularly focused on documentation and family electoral-roll information required during the SIR process.
The Election Commission’s decision to remove the additional declaration in states where SIR has concluded means that applicants in those states will use the statutory Form 6 without the additional SIR-linked declaration. However, the requirement remains applicable in places where the revision exercise is continuing, according to reports on the Commission’s latest decision.
The controversy therefore involves several separate issues, including the authority to modify election-related forms, the role of technology service providers in implementing changes, the legal status of additional declarations during SIR and the safeguards available to new voters.
Rahul Gandhi has sought answers from both the Election Commission and TCS regarding who authorised and approved the online changes. The Election Commission, meanwhile, has maintained that the additional declaration was part of the SIR-related process rather than a permanent legal amendment to the statutory Form 6.
The latest developments indicate that the issue remains part of the broader debate surrounding electoral-roll revision and the functioning of the Election Commission. Further clarification may emerge through official responses, court proceedings and future decisions concerning the online voter registration process.
3 Line Content
Rahul Gandhi has questioned the Election Commission and Tata Consultancy Services over changes made to the online Form 6 used for new voter registration.
He has asked who authorised and approved the changes and whether TCS was pressured to implement them.
The Election Commission has removed the additional SIR-linked declaration from Form 6 in states where the revision exercise has concluded.
