Archive · 2 Oct 2026
Rahul Gandhi Questions ECI, TCS Over Form 6 Changes
Form 6 is used by people who want to register as voters.
An extra declaration was added to its online version during a voter-list checking exercise.
The declaration asked whether an applicant, parent or grandparent appeared on an older voter list.
Rahul Gandhi wants to know which election official told TCS to add it.
He also asked who approved the work at TCS and whether the company was pressured.
Two election commissioners reportedly objected to the change.
The Election Commission says the main form was not changed and that only a separate attachment was added.
Opposition parties are protesting and demanding answers about the voter-registration process.
Rahul Gandhi asked which Election Commission official ordered Tata Consultancy Services to alter online Form 6 and who approved the change at TCS.
The disputed addition asked whether an applicant, parent or grandparent appeared on a previous Special Intensive Revision electoral roll.
Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi reportedly objected that the prescribed form could not be changed without amending election rules.
The Election Commission said statutory Form 6 was not amended and that a separate Annexure-D declaration was attached during the SIR process.
The INDIA bloc announced protests and demands over voter-list revisions, while Mahua Moitra sought an FIR concerning alleged electoral-roll software changes in West Bengal.
- Who
- Congress leader Rahul Gandhi questioned the Election Commission of India and Tata Consultancy Services; Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi reportedly objected to the change.
- What
- A dispute concerns an additional Special Intensive Revision-related declaration attached to the online Form 6 used for voter registration.
- When
- Rahul Gandhi raised the questions on October 1, 2026, with one report describing the remarks as occurring on Friday; the ECINET changes took effect on September 30.
- Where
- The declaration appeared on the ECINET portal and related Chief Electoral Officer portals; political responses included meetings and planned demonstrations in New Delhi and across districts.
- 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
Whether the online form was unlawfully changed
Opposition and Critics
Rahul Gandhi and opposition leaders describe the online modification as illegal and cite reported objections from two election commissioners, who said the prescribed form could not be changed without amending the rules.
Election Commission
The Election Commission says Form 6 itself was never amended; it says only a separate Annexure-D declaration was attached for the SIR process under established procedures.
Responsibility for the change
Opposition and Critics
Gandhi is asking 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 supplied reports do not identify an individual who ordered or approved the implementation. The Commission says its SIR orders had unanimous approval and full legal sanction.
Purpose and democratic impact
Opposition and Critics
Jairam Ramesh alleged, without providing evidence in the reports, that the changes were introduced to remove Gen Z voters. The INDIA bloc says voter-list revisions threaten democratic institutions and is demanding protests, accountability and ballot-paper elections.
Election Commission
The Election Commission says differing views are normal in institutional deliberations, its orders follow statutory procedures and the electoral-roll process has legal sanction.
- Form 6
- An application used to register new voters and, during SIR, to re-enrol people whose names were deleted during enumeration.
- Disputed declaration
- It asked whether the applicant, a parent or a grandparent appeared on a previous SIR electoral roll.
- Reported objections
- Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi reportedly objected at least 14 times over 10 months to SIR-related decisions and orders.
- Election Commission position
- The Commission says the statutory Form 6 was not amended and that a separate Annexure-D declaration was attached during SIR.
- Portal status
- The declaration was removed in states where SIR had concluded but remained available in states where the exercise was underway, including 13 reported states.
- Opposition actions
- The INDIA bloc announced district-level Save Democracy Marches from October 2 to October 8, an opposition MPs' march to the Election Commission on October 6, and a planned meeting with President Droupadi Murmu.
- Related complaint
- Mahua Moitra said she asked police to file an FIR against Election Commission IT director general Seema Khanna over alleged electoral-roll software changes in West Bengal.
Sources
'Who At Poll Body Ordered Changes To Form 6?' Rahul Gandhi's Big Question
Who ordered TCS to make illegal change in Form 6?
‘Were TCS pressured?’ Rahul Gandhi questions election panel on online Form 6 changes
Rahul Gandhi questions Form 6 changes, asks who ordered TCS to alter voter form - Telegraph India
'Who signed off on it': Rahul Gandhi questions TCS on electoral Form 6 changes
Rahul Questions EC, TCS Over Form 6
