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Rahul Gandhi, Form 6, Election Commission, ECI, TCS, Special Intensive Revision, SIR, voter registration (Img: Dynamite News)
New Delhi: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has raised questions over the authority behind changes made to the online Form 6 used for voter registration.
Rahul Gandhi also asked whether Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which implemented the changes, was pressured to do so. He raised questions over the Election Commission's role and sought clarity on who approved the changes and who at TCS signed them off.
“The online Form 6 was changed illegally - as the EC's own Commissioners have recorded. Who at the ECI ordered Tata Consultancy Services to make that change? Who at TCS signed off on it? And were they pressured into doing it?” Rahul said in a post on X.
Congress leader's remarks came after the Election Commission withdrew an additional declaration form 6 linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in states where the electoral roll revision exercise has already been completed.
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The additional declaration has been removed from the ECINET app and portal and the portals of the respective Chief Electoral Officers in those states.
With the removal, people applying for voter registration in states where the SIR exercise has been completed will now be required to submit only the regular statutory Form 6 for enrolment.
The online Form 6 was changed illegally - as the EC's own Commissioners have recorded.
Who at the ECI ordered Tata Consultancy Services to make that change?
Who at TCS signed off on it? And were they pressured into doing it?
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 1, 2026
The additional declaration, however, continues to be available on the ECINET portal in states and Union territories where the SIR exercise is still being carried out.
Under the declaration, new applicants are required to provide information that establishes a link between themselves, their parents or grandparents and previous electoral rolls.
The requirement has been part of the electoral roll revision process in areas where SIR exercise is still being held. The withdrawal of the additional declaration in states where the exercise has concluded means applicants there will no longer have to complete that extra requirement along with Form 6.
In the full Commission meeting on September 26 it was decided the change in the Form-6. The meeting was attended by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
Following the meeting, the poll panel said the additional declaration attached to Form 6 was intended “specifically for SIR”.
The Commission further clarified that “for non-SIR period, the Forms applicable as per Rules (the Registration of Electors Rules 1960) will be used.”
The clarification indicates that the additional declaration is linked specifically to periods when the SIR exercise is being conducted. In states where the revision process has been completed, applicants will revert to the regular statutory Form 6 procedure.
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Rahul Gandhi's questions, meanwhile, focus on how changes were made to the online version of Form 6 and the role played by the Election Commission and TCS in implementing them.
His post raises questions about the authorisation process behind the changes and whether the technology service provider was instructed or pressured to implement them.
The Election Commission's withdrawal of the additional declaration has now altered the requirements for new voter applicants in states where the SIR exercise has concluded, while the additional requirement continues in areas where the revision process remains underway.
