IndiaPosted at: Nov 3 2026 10:30PM


Congress accuses EC of ‘Word Games’ over Form 6, demands halt to SIR

New Delhi, Nov 3 (UNI) The Congress on Tuesday stepped up its confrontation with the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, accusing the poll panel of using “word games” to defend a flawed exercise that, according to the opposition party, deletes existing voters first and subsequently asks them to seek re-enrolment as new electors.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the Commission’s latest clarification permitting voters whose names are missing from the draft electoral rolls to apply for
re-inclusion through Form 6 had failed to address the fundamental contradictions in the process.
Instead, he alleged, the clarification was another attempt at damage control that exposed the deficiencies in the design of the SIR exercise.
“The ECI’s latest ‘clarification’ on Form 6 is another set of word games that clarify nothing. Each damage control attempt shows how badly designed the SIR process is,” Ramesh said in a post on social media platform X.
Questioning the use of Form 6, which is ordinarily prescribed for first-time voter registration, the Congress leader pointed out that the declaration accompanying the form specifically asks applicants whether they are “applying for inclusion for the first time”.
He argued that asking previously registered electors, whose names have been omitted from the draft rolls, to use the same form amounted to requiring them to make a declaration that did not accurately reflect their circumstances.
“This is another deceptive word game to cover up a flawed process asking voters to make a false declaration,” he said.
Ramesh also questioned the Commission's assurance that such applicants would not face prosecution under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, for submitting a declaration that could otherwise be construed as incorrect.
He said the assurance had come only after voters were being asked to sign a declaration that did not correspond to their actual electoral history.
“After asking voters to sign a false declaration, the ECI is now giving them protection from legal consequences – after the fact. This is how poorly thought through the SIR process has been,” he said.
The Congress leader further invoked the Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer's communication to the ECI, which, he said, questioned the use of Form 6 in the manner now proposed by the Commission.
He also referred to the legal challenge before the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court, where the rationale behind the ECI's position, particularly concerning voters who were absent or had shifted residence, has come under judicial scrutiny.
The dispute over Form 6 has emerged as a significant flashpoint in the wider confrontation between the Congress and the Election Commission over the SIR exercise.
The opposition party has consistently argued that the revision goes beyond routine updating of electoral rolls by placing the burden on existing voters to establish their eligibility all over again if their names are omitted from the draft list.
The Congress has also raised concerns about the possible exclusion of migrant workers, people who have shifted residence and other vulnerable sections of the electorate, maintaining that administrative errors or difficulties in producing documents should not deprive eligible citizens of their constitutional right to vote.
The Election Commission, however, has maintained that the SIR is intended to ensure the accuracy of electoral rolls by removing duplicate, deceased and otherwise ineligible entries while ensuring that all eligible citizens are included.
In its latest clarification, the Commission has allowed individuals whose names appeared in earlier electoral rolls but are missing from the draft lists to submit Form 6 for inclusion in the final electoral rolls, irrespective of their previous enrolment.
The Congress, however, maintains that the clarification leaves unanswered a fundamental question: why should an elector who has already been registered and whose name has subsequently disappeared during the revision be required to apply afresh as a new voter?
“The ECI cannot address the real problem: the SIR is designed for exclusion. It deletes voters first, and then asks them to apply for re-inclusion as new voters,” Ramesh said.
Reiterating the party's opposition to the exercise, he argued that administrative explanations and subsequent assurances could not rectify what the Congress considers an inherently defective process.
“No amount of damage control can fix this flawed process. SIR needs to be stopped,” he added.
The latest exchange has added another dimension to the ongoing political and legal dispute over the revision of electoral rolls.
While the ECI has defended the exercise as necessary to maintain the integrity of the voter lists, the Congress has demanded that the process be halted, insisting that the removal of ineligible entries must not result in legitimate voters being compelled to establish their credentials afresh because of omissions, migration or changes in residence.
UNI SKA BM
Tags: #Congress accuses EC of ‘Word Games’ over Form 6# demands halt to SIR
More News

NEET-PG may shift from percentile-based qualifying system to rank-based merit system

03 Nov 2026 | 10:36 PM

New Delhi, Nov. 3 (UNI) A 12-member expert committee set up to review the NEET-PG admission system has recommended replacing the existing percentile-based qualifying system with a rank-based merit system, a proposal that has received in-principle approval from the National Medical Commission.

see more..

Congress accuses EC of ‘Word Games’ over Form 6, demands halt to SIR

03 Nov 2026 | 10:30 PM

New Delhi, Nov 3 (UNI) The Congress on Tuesday stepped up its confrontation with the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, accusing the poll panel of using “word games” to defend a flawed exercise that, according to the opposition party, deletes existing voters first and subsequently asks them to seek re-enrolment as new electors.

see more..

Supreme Court restores registration of Crystal Crop protection’s insecticide, sets aside Delhi High Court order

03 Nov 2026 | 10:25 PM

New Delhi, Nov 3 (UNI) The Supreme Court has restored the registration certificate granted to Crystal Crop Protection Ltd for the import and manufacture of the insecticide Halosulfuron methyl, setting aside a Delhi High Court judgment that had cancelled the registration.

see more..

Army trains 50 Civil Defence Master Trainers to strengthen emergency preparedness

03 Nov 2026 | 10:08 PM

New Delhi, Nov 3 (UNI) The Indian Army has launched a joint initiative with the Directorate General of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards (DG FSCDHG) to strengthen military-civil coordination and enhance the country's preparedness to deal with emerging security challenges and emergencies.

see more..

Delhi gasps for breath as AQI touches 350, Jahangirpuri records 462

03 Nov 2026 | 10:02 PM

New Delhi, Nov 3 (UNI) Delhi’s air pollution intensified today, with the national capital recording its worst air quality as the average Air Quality Index (AQI) touched 350, placing it in the ‘very poor’ category.

see more..