Form 6 Changes 'Illegal', Differences Within EC 'Very Serious': Former CEC O P Rawat
Two commissioners said the voter form change was illegal and could deter first-time applicants, while the portal kept the unauthorised declaration online.
- Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi formally objected to unauthorized SIR-linked changes to Form 6, the application used by citizens to register as new voters, which were implemented on the ECINet portal without their approval.
- The July addition requires new voters to declare whether they or their parents appeared in early 2000s electoral rolls, a change Commissioners argued violates the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, which mandates statutory amendments for such modifications.
- Sandhu and Joshi recorded objections at least 14 times over 10 months regarding decisions made without their knowledge. Former Chief Election Commissioner O P Rawat labeled the Form 6 amendments "absolutely wrong and illegal."
- Despite warnings that unauthorized changes could lead to voter harassment, the modified form remains online, disproportionately affecting new voters whose families were dropped during the last Special Intensive Revision process.
- Internal friction risks damaging public confidence in the Election Commission, which historically operated by unanimous consensus. Rawat described the developments as "very serious" and "unfortunate" for the institution's credibility.
19 Articles
19 Articles
The addition of stringent rules related to the 2000 SIR list to voter registration Form 6 without legal amendment has sparked controversy. Election Commissioners Dr. Sandhu and Dr. Joshi have dissented 14 times, calling it "illegal." The opposition has called it a conspiracy to delete voter names and has demanded the CEC's resignation.
Form 6 changes illegal, differences within EC serious: Ex-CEC
New Delhi: Changes to the statutory voter registration Form 6 are “absolutely wrong and illegal”, former chief election commissioner O P Rawat said on Wednesday, September 23, while describing revelations of differences within the Election Commission as “very serious” and “unfortunate”. Reacting to an Indian Express report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek … Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News, Technology, Ente…
Absolutely wrong, illegal: Ex-CEC on Form 6 changes, calls EC dissent row serious
Former chief election commissioner O P Rawat said reported changes to voter registration Form 6 were illegal and objected to commissioners being bypassed. He warned that centralised software control and internal discord could deepen doubts about the Election Commission.
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