India opposition demands rollback of Election Commission Form 6 change

India's opposition parties have criticised the Election Commission over a change to the online Form 6 voter registration process, accusing it of adding a new mandatory declaration without the required legal amendment. The dispute centres on the ECINET portal, where the online version of Form 6 was reported to include a new section asking for details of the applicant or their parents in relation to the last Special Intensive Revision. The downloadable version of the same form, however, was reported not to contain the new declaration.

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Congress leader Pawan Khera said the Election Commission had introduced a mandatory section in the online form even though no corresponding amendment had been made to the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. He argued that the poll body could not alter a statutory form on its own and accused it of acting as if it had ceased to be a constitutional institution. Khera also used the controversy to attack Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, saying he was carrying out the wishes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

CPI(M) MP John Brittas wrote to Gyanesh Kumar demanding that the provision be rolled back. In his letter, Brittas said the Commission's legitimacy depended not only on fair elections but also on strict compliance with the law governing them. He said introducing a new mandatory declaration through the ECINET portal without a rules amendment was "plainly ultra vires", meaning beyond legal authority.

Brittas added that any change to Form 6 would require an amendment to the rules through a notification issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice and published in the Official Gazette. The row matters because Form 6 is the standard route for new voters to register, making any change to it significant for access to the electoral roll. The opposition's criticism also reflects a wider political dispute over the independence of the Election Commission and the handling of voter registration procedures.