NEW DELHI: The Election Commission on Monday issued a “fact check” amid the controversy over reported changes to Form 6, calling Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s claim that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had “changed Form 6 illegally and unilaterally” misleading.In its response, the EC said the order for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, issued on June 24, 2025, had received the unanimous approval of the Commission and was subsequently upheld by the Supreme Court in its judgment dated May 27, 2026.The poll panel also cited its Press Note No. 120 dated September 26, 2026, pointing to point 1(iii), which states: “The declaration attached to Form 6 for SIR has been upheld by the Hon’ble Supreme Court.”The EC’s response came after Rahul alleged in a post on X that the CEC had changed Form 6 “illegally and unilaterally”, citing the recent Supreme Court observation.EC officials also clarified that Form 6 itself had not been changed, but that a declaration had been attached to the form under the Bihar SIR order, as quoted by PTI.The clarification came after the Supreme Court said it had not approved any modification to Form 6 used by the EC during the SIR exercise in various states.“Any modification to Form 6 has not been approved by us. Let’s be clear. When records are produced, we would like to see who has modified it,” a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said.
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Form 6 is the application used by eligible voters for inclusion in the electoral roll.The declaration was attached to Form 6 during the Bihar SIR, which began with the EC’s June 24, 2025 order. The declaration sought additional details, including information about the applicant’s parents.According to EC officials, the form itself remained unchanged, while the declaration was a separate document attached to it for the SIR exercise. Outside SIR, the forms prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 apply.The declaration was later withdrawn from the EC’s online portals.The online version of Form 6 and the declaration also used a single OTP for both, rather than requiring separate OTP verification, which had led to suggestions that the declaration was part of Form 6.The EC also rejected claims that it had withdrawn its September 26 press note and shared the document to show that it remained available.
