1 hr ago
Rahul Gandhi Questions ECI Over Online Form 6 Changes
Rahul Gandhi is asking questions about a form used by people who want to become voters.
A special declaration was added to the online version of Form 6 during an electoral-roll checking exercise.
Gandhi wants to know who told Tata Consultancy Services to add it and who approved the work.
He also asked whether the company was pressured.
Two election commissioners reportedly objected to the change.
The Election Commission says the main form was never changed and that only a separate attachment was used.
It says the attachment was allowed during the special revision process.
Opposition parties are planning protests and demanding answers about how voter lists are managed.
Rahul Gandhi asked who at the Election Commission ordered Tata Consultancy Services to alter online Form 6 and who approved the change at TCS.
The disputed addition sought information about whether an applicant, parent, or grandparent appeared on a previous Special Intensive Revision electoral roll.
Election Commissioners Vivek Joshi and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu reportedly objected to the change, saying it exceeded the poll panel’s authority.
The Election Commission said Form 6 itself was not amended and that a separate Annexure-D declaration was added for the SIR process under established procedures.
The INDIA bloc announced protests, while Mahua Moitra sought an FIR against Election Commission IT director general Seema Khanna over alleged electoral-roll software changes in West Bengal.
- Who
- Rahul Gandhi questioned the Election Commission of India and Tata Consultancy Services; Election Commissioners Vivek Joshi and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu reportedly raised objections.
- What
- A dispute concerns the addition of a Special Intensive Revision-related declaration to the online Form 6 used for voter registration.
- Where
- The declaration appeared on the ECINET portal and related election websites; the political response was made publicly and in New Delhi meetings.
- When
- The questions were raised on October 1, 2026; the ECINET changes took effect on September 30, according to the reports.
- Why
- Gandhi and opposition parties seek accountability over the change, while the Election Commission says it followed statutory procedures and did not alter the original Form 6.
Opposition and Critics
Election Commission
Legality of the Form 6 change
Opposition and Critics
Rahul Gandhi and the opposition describe the online change as illegal and cite reported objections by two election commissioners. They argue that the prescribed form could not be modified without changing the relevant rules.
Election Commission
The Election Commission says Form 6 was never amended and that only a separate declaration was attached for the SIR process, which it says had legal and judicial support.
Responsibility for the implementation
Opposition and Critics
Gandhi wants to know which ECI official ordered Tata Consultancy Services to make the change, who approved it at TCS, and whether the company was pressured.
Election Commission
The EC has not publicly identified an individual responsible in the supplied reports and maintains that its SIR orders had unanimous approval from all three commissioners.
Impact and electoral process
Opposition and Critics
Opposition parties allege that the SIR process and related technology could undermine voter registration and democratic institutions, and they are demanding protests, accountability, and other electoral changes.
Election Commission
The EC says electoral rolls are prepared through established statutory procedures and that differing views within an institution are normal.
Key facts
- Form 6
- Application used to enroll new voters and, in some cases, re-enroll people whose names were deleted during the SIR enumeration process.
- Disputed addition
- A declaration asking whether the applicant, parent, or grandparent appeared on a previous SIR electoral roll.
- EC commissioners cited
- Vivek Joshi and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu reportedly recorded objections to the online-form changes.
- Election Commission position
- The EC says the statutory Form 6 was not amended; a separate Annexure-D declaration was attached during SIR.
- Portal change
- The additional declaration was removed from states where SIR had concluded but remained in states where the exercise was underway.
- Political response
- The INDIA bloc announced district-level Save Democracy Marches from October 2 to October 8 and an opposition MPs’ march to the EC on October 6.
- Related complaint
- Mahua Moitra said she asked Parliament Street police to file an FIR against Seema Khanna over alleged electoral-roll software changes in West Bengal.
Quotes
Rahul Gandhi
Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha
“It is the personal commitment of all INDIA leaders that we are going to ensure that the people who have destroyed Indian democracy are punished. It doesn't matter how senior they are, who they are; Indian democracy is bigger than every single person in this country.”
deccanchronicle.com
“Today I filed a complaint at the Parliament Street Police Station to file an FIR against Seema Khanna. The SHO asked for time until the 5th to see if a case is made out for an FIR. I told him I would return on the 6th for a follow-up.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
'Who At Poll Body Ordered Changes To Form 6?' Rahul Gandhi's Big Question
‘Were TCS pressured?’ Rahul Gandhi questions election panel on online Form 6 changes
'Who signed off on it': Rahul Gandhi questions TCS on electoral Form 6 changes
Who at ECI Ordered to Make That change: Rahul Questions Form 6 Change
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