2 hrs ago
Former CEC Calls Form 6 Changes Illegal Amid EC Rift
The Election Commission helps manage voter lists and elections.
A report said two election commissioners disagreed with some decisions made in the commission’s name.
The disagreements reportedly involved a voter-registration form called Form 6.
Former election chief O.P. Rawat said changing the form without following the law was wrong.
He also worried that computer software could prevent local officials from correcting voter lists.
Rawat said these issues could make people trust the election body less.
The two commissioners reportedly raised objections many times.
However, Election Commission sources said its decisions were unanimous and approved by all three commissioners.
Former chief election commissioner O.P. Rawat called reported differences within the Election Commission “very serious” and “unfortunate.”
Rawat said changes linking new voter applications to the Special Intensive Revision through Form 6 were “absolutely wrong and illegal.”
According to a report, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected at least 14 times over 10 months.
The reported disputes involved voter additions and deletions, Form 6 changes, and centralised control of the electoral-roll database.
Election Commission sources said all decisions, including those concerning the Special Intensive Revision, were unanimous and approved by all three commissioners.
- Who
- Former chief election commissioner O.P. Rawat, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, and the Election Commission.
- What
- Reported internal disagreements concern Form 6 changes, voter-roll decisions, and centralised control of the electoral-roll database.
- Where
- Within the Election Commission of India; the commissioners reportedly also raised database-related concerns with Cabinet Secretary T. V. Somanathan.
- When
- The objections reportedly occurred at least 14 times over 10 months; Sandhu recorded a Form 6 objection in August, while Joshi recorded one in May.
- Why
- The reported disputes arose over whether Form 6 could be changed through Special Intensive Revision instructions and how electoral-roll software and databases should be controlled.
Rawat and Reported Commissioner Objections
Election Commission Sources
Legality of Form 6 changes
Rawat and Reported Commissioner Objections
Rawat said the reported amendment to Form 6 was “absolutely wrong and illegal,” while the commissioners reportedly argued that the statutory form could be changed only through the relevant rules.
Election Commission Sources
Election Commission sources maintained that decisions concerning the Special Intensive Revision had the approval of all three commissioners.
Internal decision-making
Rawat and Reported Commissioner Objections
Rawat said repeated disagreements were unusual and suggested the reported objections indicated serious problems within the poll panel.
Election Commission Sources
The Election Commission sources said its decisions were unanimous despite differences.
Control of electoral-roll software
Rawat and Reported Commissioner Objections
Rawat argued that software should not prevent field officials from making changes they considered necessary and warned against monopolising control.
Election Commission Sources
The article does not report a detailed public response from the Election Commission to Rawat’s specific software criticisms.
Key facts
- Former CEC
- O.P. Rawat, who served as chief election commissioner from January to December 2018.
- Reported objections
- Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi reportedly objected at least 14 times over 10 months.
- Form 6 dispute
- The commissioners reportedly said changing the statutory form required an amendment to the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
- August objection
- Sandhu reportedly called the SIR-related Form 6 change “unauthorised and illegal” and said it should be removed.
- Database concerns
- The commissioners reportedly raised concerns about centralising supervision of the Election Commission’s information-technology system.
- Election Commission position
- EC sources said all decisions, including those concerning the Special Intensive Revision, were unanimous.
Quotes
O.P. Rawat
Former chief election commissioner who served from January to December 2018
“What the election commissioners have said, that Form 6 was amended wrongly, that there is no provision for it in law, that their inputs were not taken and no meeting was held, is a very serious allegation. The way Form 6 has been amended is wrong. It is absolutely wrong and illegal.”
telegraphindia.com
“No one has the right to monopolise all powers and say that we will make the software and whatever the software says will have to be done. This has never happened and should never happen.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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