New Delhi. Prominent Congress figure and Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has publicly urged the Election Commission to reveal the identity of the official who sanctioned the recent alteration to the online voter‑registration Form 6 and to detail Tata Consultancy Services' (TCS) involvement in executing it.
In a post on social media, Gandhi asked for the name of the EC officer who directed TCS to make the change, the corporate executive who approved it, and whether any undue pressure was exerted on the firm during the process. His queries emerge against the backdrop of a heated dispute between the Election Commission and opposition parties over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
SIR‑Specific Declaration Added to Form 6
The controversy centres on an additional statement that appeared on the digital Form 6 during the SIR exercise. The new clause asks prospective voters to confirm whether their own name or that of a family member has ever been recorded on a previous electoral roll.
The Election Commission insists that the core statutory Form 6 was not altered; the extra question was introduced solely for the SIR process.
EC Strips the Extra Clause Where SIR Is Completed
After the roll‑revision concluded in several states and Union territories, the Commission removed the SIR‑specific declaration from the online Form 6 available on the ECINET portal and on the respective Chief Electoral Officer websites.
In regions where the SIR exercise is still ongoing, the supplemental question remains active. Voters in jurisdictions where the revision has finished must now file the original Form 6 prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
The Role of Form 6 in New Voter Registration
Form 6 is the official instrument through which eligible citizens apply to have their names entered on the electoral roll. The Election Commission’s Citizen Service Portal also provides an online avenue for submitting Form 6 applications.
This episode has become another flashpoint in the wider political debate over the SIR operation, with opposition parties demanding greater transparency from the Election Commission regarding any changes to roll‑revision procedures or voter‑registration protocols.
