New Delhi [India], October 6 (ANI): Stepping up its offensive against the Central government and the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Opposition mounted a fierce attack over modifications to voter registration forms and alleged discrepancies in the electoral rolls, accusing the poll panel of misleading the public.
Reacting to the controversy regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and voter list procedures, Congress leader Pawan Khera claimed that there is widespread anger among the public, asserting that the opposition is fulfilling its democratic duty by speaking out.
"The entire nation is outraged; public anger is visible on the streets... In such a situation, given that the opposition represents nearly 60% of the country in Parliament, it is our duty to raise our voices and convey the people's sentiments to you," Khera said.
Targeting the ruling dispensation over the tag of "anti-national" frequently hurled at critics, Khera questioned: "The Supreme Court also has issues with the SIR; does that make the Supreme Court 'anti-India'? The two Election Commissioners within the Election Commission also have issues with it—are they 'anti-India' too? Anyone who questions Narendra Modi is labelled 'anti-India'."
Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) national spokesperson Clyde Crasto also targeted Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the poll body falsely invoked the apex court’s name regarding changes to Form 6.
"The CJI stated today that he had not issued any order to make changes to Form 6. What did Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission of India tell the public? They claimed that the changes made to Form 6 were in accordance with Supreme Court orders. This implies that they were lying," Crasto alleged.
He further demanded accountability over voter list deletions, stating: "CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission of India lied by invoking the name of the Supreme Court, the apex court. They ought to be held accountable for this lie. The names of 13 crore people were removed from the electoral rolls. Since this was done based on a lie, the Bharatiya Janata Party and its government must answer to the nation."
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury took to social media platform X to question the Election Commission’s move to "fact-check" Congress leader Rahul Gandhi instead of clarifying the matter before the judiciary.
"The Supreme Court says it never approved any modified Form 6 and now wants to know 'who modified what.' Yet the Election Commission responds with a social-media 'Fact Check', citing the earlier Bihar SIR order and an earlier declaration. But the real question remains unanswered: Who modified Form 6? Under whose authority? Was the modification approved by the full Commission?" Chowdhury posted on X.
Demanding complete transparency from the constitutional body, Chowdhury added: "Instead of fact-checking @RahulGandhi on social media, the ECI should place the complete record before the Supreme Court and answer these questions transparently. When the Supreme Court itself is asking 'who modified what', how can the matter already be declared 'fact-checked'? The Election Commission must answer to the Constitution and the people of India."
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday termed Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's allegations against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar as "misleading".
Responding to Rahul Gandhi's 'X' post, which cited an earlier ECI press release, the Election Commission maintained that the "order for SIR in Bihar issued on 24 June 2025 was issued with the unanimous approval of the Commission. This order has been upheld by the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India in its judgment dated 27 May 2026".
Rahul Gandhi had earlier alleged that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar had changed Form 6 "illegally and unilaterally" after the Supreme Court clarified that it had not approved any modified version of Form 6.
Form 6 is used for enrolling new voters in electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
The ECI highlighted Point 1(iii) of its September 26 press note, which stated that "the declaration attached to Form 6 for SIR has been upheld by the Hon'ble Supreme Court".
The ECI's statement did not directly address the specific allegation regarding Form 6 modification.
A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justices Joymalya Bagchi, and V Mohana said the court would examine the record to ascertain who had introduced the changes after the Election Commission claimed last week that the new declaration attached to the online Form 6 had been approved by the apex court.
"Any modified Form 6 has not been approved by us. Let's be clear. When the record is produced, we would like to see who has modified it," the CJI observed.
The clarification came while hearing a plea filed by advocate Shailendra Mani Tripathi seeking prosecution of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and other officials over alleged unilateral decisions concerning the SIR exercise. (ANI)
"Who modified Form 6?": Opposition sharpens attack on Election Commission, BJP; cites SC observations
