Congress accuses CEC of breaking law over Form 6 changes, urges Supreme Court to hold it accountable

Congress Rajya Sabha Members and General Secretary in charge of Communications Jairam Ramesh. | Photo credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

The Congress on Saturday (September 26, 2026) accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of knowingly violating the law and constitutional practices by “unilaterally” changing Form 6 and urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognizance and hold him accountable.

In a post on X, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said Mr Kumar’s continued tenure was an insult to the people of India and that he must resign, as suggested by Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi.

Mr Ramesh said that late on Friday night (September 25, 2026), a “panicked” Election Commission ordered officials to organize special camps for young voters and give them “wide publicity” through social media.

Also Read: Election Commission to stop physical hearing of voters to start enrollment process

“But the CEC itself has previously made it virtually impossible to add young voters through a blatantly illegal and unconstitutional change to Form 6. A new mandatory section has been added asking if your parents/grandparents were in a previous SIR, creating a barrier for Gen Z first-time voters.

“The change is completely illegal. — Violation 1: In early July 2026, the online form was secretly changed without any official notification,” the Congress leader said.

Pointing to the second violation, he said the ECI had no power to amend Form 6. “Only the Union government has that power under the Representation of the People Act, 1950. This is clearly a huge overreach on the part of the Election Commission,” Mr. Ramesh said.

“Violation 3: The form was changed without any change in the rules governing it under the Voter Registration Rules, 1960. This can only be done by the Union Government with due notice to Parliament. The statutory form, as defined by law, was unilaterally changed by CEC Gyanesh at the behest of the shaken PM-HM duo,” he added.

Mr. Ramesh claimed that incidentally, both the Election Commissioners demanded that this “illegal and unauthorized” change be revoked “so that youth and first-time voters can register without any harassment”.

“The CEC has not only violated constitutional conventions and practices, but has also knowingly violated the law passed by Parliament. His continuance in office is an insult to the people of India.”

“Confirmed law breaker responsible for implementing laws – what Indian democracy has degenerated into. The Supreme Court must immediately take suo motu cognizance and hold him accountable,” the Congress general secretary said.

He argued that Mr. Kumar can still redeem himself by resigning and endorsing, which was suggested by Rahul Gandhi, adding that the youth would approve of the move.

Amid a tussle over the Election Commission adding a declaration to the form for new voters who want to join the electoral rolls and making the registration process more difficult, Election Commission officials said on Friday (September 25, 2026) that as many as 2.37 million voters in the 18-28 age group have been added since the last exercise in June (SIR).

Following the change in the online form, not only do existing voters have to provide details of their parents in the SIR to remain on the electoral rolls; those seeking inclusion in the electoral roll must also provide details of the exercise.

The Election Commission, by issuing instructions, has made it mandatory to attach SIR details of parents for new voters filling Form 6 for inclusion in the electoral roll.

The survey panel officer emphasized that the statement was added through the guidelines and that Form 6 had not been changed.

If a person fills Form 6 online, they cannot proceed until the declaration is completed.

Published – 26 Sep 2026 10:55 IST