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.
14 Articles
14 Articles
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.
Former Election Commissioner OP Rawat Calls Reports of Differences in EC ‘unfortunate’, Advocates Resolution Through Dialogue
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. On concerns raised over the SIR process and notices issued to voters, Rawat said there had been procedural errors from the beginning, which had also come before courts. He said the Election Commission had gradually made improvements in the process. India News | Former Election Commissioner OP Rawat Calls Reports of Differences in EC ‘unfortunate’, Advocates Resolution Through Dialogue.
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