Rahul Gandhi questions EC and TCS over illegal changes in Form 6
Rahul Gandhi inquires who approved the changes at TCS and if there was any pressure to do so.
In the Lok Sabha, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday questioned the Election Commission and Tata Consultancy Services or TCS regarding illegal and unlawful changes made to the online Form 6 used for the registration of new voters. He alleged that these changes were made unlawfully. Rahul asked who in the Election Commission instructed TCS to make these changes and which official in the company approved it.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wrote on the social media platform X,
“Online Form 6 has been changed unlawfully—as recorded by the Election Commission's own commissioners. Who in the Election Commission ordered TCS to make this change?”
He further asked,
“Who approved this at TCS? And were they pressured to do so?”
His questions have brought the controversy to the responsibility of the Election Commission's decision-making process regarding the instructions and approvals for the online changes. However, there has been no response from TCS on these questions. Rahul Gandhi's comments came a day after the opposition alliance 'INDIA' met. In this meeting, a joint movement against special intensive revision of voter lists, or SIR, and electoral irregularities was decided. The opposition has announced to hold 'Save Democracy' marches in all districts and five major rallies.
Opposition parties have demanded that future elections be conducted using ballots instead of electronic voting machines. They have also appealed to the Supreme Court to expedite hearings related to SIR and electoral irregularities. The opposition is linking this issue to the transparency of the voter list and public trust in the electoral process. Leaders from 19 political parties participated in the meeting, which lasted over three and a half hours. It was decided that all opposition MPs would march to the Election Commission on October 6. Opposition leaders will also meet the President and raise issues related to alleged irregularities in the revision of voter lists.
There was also discussion in the INDIA alliance meeting regarding the demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The opposition alliance stated that it would not back down until he resigns. Thus, the opposition has prepared a joint program for street protests, presenting their grievances before constitutional institutions, and demanding expedited judicial hearings regarding this controversy.
The backdrop of this controversy includes reports by the Indian Express, which claimed disagreements over decisions related to SIR within the Election Commission. According to the newspaper, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded their objections to certain decisions and orders at least 14 times over the past ten months.
According to the reports,
both commissioners had stated that these decisions and orders related to SIR were issued without their knowledge or recommendation. This revelation has raised questions about the decision-making process within the Commission. The opposition has been continuously attacking the Modi government over this report.
Changes to online Form 6 are also part of this broader controversy. Form 6 is used to register new voters' names in the voter list. Therefore, the questions raised regarding the changes are directly related to the process of registering new voters. Rahul Gandhi has cited the recorded objections of the commissioners and demanded accountability for the changes. His questions imply at what level the directive for technical changes was given and who approved its implementation. He has also asked whether the company was pressured. Clearly, Rahul Gandhi has directly held the Modi government responsible for this.
Meanwhile, amidst the objections of the two commissioners and questions raised over the SIR process, the Election Commission has defended its decisions. The Commission stated that it is normal for differing opinions and comments to arise during discussions in any institution. The Commission also stated that all its orders have a complete legal basis and follow established statutory procedures.