Congress Accuses CEC of Illegal Form 6 Change, Urges Supreme Court to Intervene

The Congress on Saturday accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of knowingly violating the law and established constitutional practice by "unilaterally" changing Form 6, the application used by new voters to enrol in the electoral rolls, and urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter and hold him accountable.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said Mr. Kumar's continued tenure was an affront to the people of India, and reiterated the demand, first made by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, that he resign.

Mr. Ramesh said that late on Friday night, a "panicked" Election Commission directed its officers to organise special enrolment camps for young voters and give them wide publicity on social media. But, he said, the CEC had earlier made it "virtually impossible" for young voters to enrol through what he described as a blatantly illegal and unconstitutional change to Form 6 — the addition of a mandatory section asking whether an applicant's parents or grandparents were part of the previous Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

The Congress leader listed three alleged violations. First, he said, the online form was changed in early July 2026 with no official notification. Second, he argued that the Election Commission has no power to amend Form 6, that power resting with the Union Government under the Representation of the People Act, 1950. Third, he said the form was changed without any amendment to the rules governing it under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, which he said could be done only by the Union Government with proper intimation to Parliament.

Mr. Ramesh also claimed that the two other election commissioners had called for the change to be reversed so that young and first-time voters could register without harassment. "A confirmed law-breaker in charge of implementing laws — what has Indian democracy degenerated into," he said, adding that the Supreme Court must take cognisance and hold the CEC accountable. He said Mr. Kumar could still "redeem himself" by resigning, a suggestion he attributed to Mr. Gandhi.

The Commission's position

The Election Commission has rejected the contention that Form 6 has been amended. A poll panel functionary said the declaration was added through instructions, and that Form 6 itself had not been amended.

Amid the row, the Commission said on Friday that 2.37 crore electors in the 18-28 age bracket had been added to the electoral rolls since the SIR exercise was rolled out in Bihar in June. Under the current online process, a person filling Form 6 cannot proceed further until the declaration is completed.

Under the SIR, existing voters have been required to furnish details of their parents to remain on the electoral rolls; those seeking fresh inclusion must now cite the same details.

What is Form 6?

Form 6 is the prescribed application for inclusion of a name in the electoral roll, used by first-time voters and by those shifting to a new constituency. The dispute centres on how far the Commission can go in modifying the enrolment process without Parliament or the Union Government amending the underlying statute and rules.

The Congress's allegations are contested. The Commission denies amending the form itself, and has not responded specifically to the charge that the change was unlawful. No court proceedings had been initiated at the time of reporting.