IndiaPosted at: Sep 26 2026 8:53PM


Khera steps up attack on ECI, questions Form 6, ECINet & Goa voter exclusions

New Delhi, Sep 26 (UNI) Congress leader Pawan Khera on Saturday stepped up his attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), describing its latest press note on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as “too lame, too little, too late” and alleging that it had failed to answer key questions arising from recent media reports on changes to Form 6, the functioning of ECINet and the exclusion of voters in Goa.
In a post on social media platform X, Khera said the Commission’s clarification “confirms that @IndianExpress story was indeed true” and alleged that the central issues remained unanswered.
His remarks came amid an escalating political and legal controversy over the conduct of the SIR exercise and reports of differences within the poll panel over certain decisions.
Khera focused first on Form 6, which is used for registration of new voters.
Referring to reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected to changes involving an additional declaration linked to the previous SIR, he questioned whether the ECI’s latest clarification adequately addressed the concerns. The Indian Express has reported that the two commissioners raised objections to the manner in which the additional requirements were introduced, with one describing the changes as “unauthorised” and “illegal”.
Khera said the ECI’s assertion that the earlier version of Form 6 would continue to remain available outside the SIR process, including during the Summary Special Revision (SSR), did not resolve the issue.
“But what about young voters disenfranchised in Bihar or West Bengal, where SIR was followed by elections without an intervening SSR?” he asked. He also questioned the relevance of the earlier Form 6 in circumstances where, according to him, an SSR had not been conducted since January 2024.
The Congress leader also raised questions over the ECI’s decision to review its ECINet platform.
The Commission has announced a committee headed by a Senior Deputy Election Commissioner and including an IIT/IIIT expert to examine the system.
Khera, however, pointed to the existence of an earlier Project Steering Committee (PSC) overseeing e-governance, including ECINet.
“But it already has a Project Steering Committee (PSC) overseeing e-governance, including ECINET — with all DECs and 3 IIT/IIM experts,” Khera said. “So what good has the preexisting PSC served that the same or a similar committee is now being trusted with reviewing the ECINET?”
The ECINet issue has emerged alongside wider concerns over the deletion and restoration of voter names during the SIR exercise.
In Goa, 97 electors flagged for “logical discrepancies” were subsequently found eligible for inclusion, but their names were missing from the final electoral roll published on February 21.
According to an Indian Express report, the office of the Goa Chief Electoral Officer made eight requests over seven days in February seeking a rollback facility to restore the names before publication of the final roll.
The ECI has attributed the episode to the absence of a rollback facility in its software after a Form 7 deletion had been processed. It has said that the cases were subsequently taken up through the voter-registration process. A Goa government statement said the 97 cases were processed through house-to-house visits by Booth Level Officers.
Khera, however, questioned why the voters had been excluded in the first place and whether similar cases had occurred elsewhere. “Why were they excluded in the first place?” he asked. “How many others across India were excluded for the same reason? And how is the ECI planning to find them and restore them?”
He further alleged that the Commission could not avoid accountability by issuing detailed press notes.
Referring to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Khera said: “So Gyanesh Kumar Gupta can try, as much as he wants, to hide behind these long press notes. He cannot simply wash his hands of this mess.”
Khera then demanded accountability from the Chief Election Commissioner, saying Kumar “should either resign and turn approver, or be prepared to be tried for TREASON.”
The remarks form part of the Congress’s wider criticism of the ECI over the SIR exercise. The Commission, however, has maintained that decisions relating to the revision have been taken unanimously by the three-member poll panel, rejecting the premise that key decisions were taken unilaterally.
The controversy has also reached the Supreme Court, where a petition has sought action against Kumar over alleged unilateral decisions concerning the SIR exercise, including the reported changes to Form 6 and the functioning of ECINet. The Election Commission has disputed the allegations of unilateral decision-making and maintained that the relevant SIR decisions were unanimous.
UNI SKA BM
Tags: #Khera steps up attack on ECI# questions Form 6# ECINet & Goa voter exclusions
More News

Real strength of India-Chile relations lies in friendship between people of 2 countries: Vijender Gupta

26 Sep 2026 | 10:46 PM

New Delhi, Sep 26 (UNI) Delhi Legislative Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta today addressed members of the Indian community in Santiago, Chile, and highlighted the deep cultural, democratic and people-to-people bonds between the two countries.

see more..

Railways eyes smart waste-compactor bins at busy stations to curb overflowing litter

26 Sep 2026 | 10:43 PM

New Delhi, Sep 26 (UNI) The Railway Board has asked all zonal railways to consider deploying waste-compactor smart bins at high-footfall railway stations on an experimental basis, seeking a technology-driven solution to overflowing conventional bins and the resulting litter at busy stations. .

see more..

Khera steps up attack on ECI, questions Form 6, ECINet & Goa voter exclusions

26 Sep 2026 | 8:53 PM

New Delhi, Sep 26 (UNI) Congress leader Pawan Khera on Saturday stepped up his attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), describing its latest press note on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as “too lame, too little, too late” and alleging that it had failed to answer key questions arising from recent media reports on changes to Form 6, the functioning of ECINet and the exclusion of voters in Goa.

see more..

East Delhi firing: Three held, firearms recovered

26 Sep 2026 | 8:43 PM

New Delhi, Sep 26 (UNI) The Delhi Police apprehended three persons allegedly involved in a case of firing, within 12 hours after filing the case, and also recovered firearms in this connection. .

see more..

Jairam Ramesh steps up attack on ECI, demands SIR suspension and CEC’s exit

26 Sep 2026 | 8:27 PM

New Delhi, Sep 26 (UNI) Congress general secretary (communications) and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh on Saturday stepped up his attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that the poll panel had failed to adequately address recent revelations concerning voter deletions and the functioning of its electoral software.

see more..