Full Breakdown
Congress Demands Supreme Court Intervention Over Election Commission’s Form 6 Changes
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Alleged Illegal Amendment to Voter-Registration Form
- On September 26, 2026, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh urged the Supreme Court to take suo moto cognizance of changes to Form 6, the statutory voter-registration form. He said a new mandatory section now asks whether an applicant’s parents or grandparents appeared in the previous Special Intensive Revision (SIR) roll. Ramesh claimed the change was made in early July 2026 without official notification or amendment to the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, and that only the Union Government may amend the form under the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
Background & Context
- The SIR is a nationwide exercise to clean electoral rolls. It began in June 2026 in Bihar and later expanded to other states. Two Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, reportedly objected on record to several SIR-related decisions, including the Form 6 alteration.
Data & Statistics
- A poll-panel functionary reported that 2.37 crore electors aged 18-28 were added since the SIR rollout in Bihar (as of September 25, 2026).
- Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi alleged that 13 crore voters have been deleted from rolls.
- Karnataka Congress leader B K Hariprasad cited deletions of 63 lakh voters in Bihar, 91 lakh in West Bengal, and 1.07 crore in Karnataka.
Official Statements & Responses
- Congress: Ramesh asserted that the Chief Election Commissioner’s actions breach constitutional conventions and statutory law, and called for the CEC’s resignation, echoing Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s demand.
- Election Commission: The EC maintains that Form 6 itself has not been amended; the additional SIR-related requirement was introduced through instructions and a separate declaration. The commission says all final decisions on the SIR were taken unanimously by the three commissioners and carry full legal sanction.
- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP): Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal dismissed the allegations as a diversion from electoral defeats, noting the EC’s performance in states such as Kerala. Union Minister Chirag Paswan urged the EC to “firmly present its side.”
Criticism & Opposition
- Congress leaders organized protests demanding the CEC’s removal. District Congress Committee President R. Padmaraj announced a rally in Dakshina Kannada on September 28, 2026. Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar called for scrapping the SIR, warning that disadvantaged voters could be excluded.
- Congress MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy alleged a conspiracy by the BJP to appoint the CEC and labeled the CEC a “traitor.”
On-the-Ground Reports
- Demonstrations occurred in Delhi, Patna, Jammu, Kolkata, Assam and other locations. In Delhi, Congress president Devender Yadav and Youth Congress members marched with masks depicting the CEC’s face, demanding resignation and arrest. Police detained several protesters in Assam and Karnataka.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Deletion figures differ: Priyanka Gandhi cites 13 crore voters removed, while Karnataka Congress provides state-wise totals amounting to roughly 2.71 crore. The poll-panel data shows 2.37 crore young voters added, indicating both additions and deletions are occurring simultaneously. No independent audit of the SIR database has been released, leaving the overall impact unverified.
What’s Next
- The Congress Working Committee is scheduled to discuss the controversy on September 29, 2026. The Supreme Court’s decision on any suo moto petition remains pending.