Further, the ECI mentioned that a committee headed by senior deputy election commissioner (DEC) and including an independent expert from IIT/IIIT will review the ECINET.
As the Opposition continues to demand Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, the Election Commission of India (ECI) said on Saturday (September 26) that old Form 6 will be used during the non-Special Intensive Revision (non-SIR) period, a committee will review the functioning of ECINET involving an independent expert from IIT/IIIT and a special drive will be immediately launched to help electors – who have been removed in SIR – to add their names to the voter list.
“The declaration attached to Form 6 for SIR has been upheld by the Hon’ble Supreme Court. For non-SIR period, the Forms applicable as per Rules (the Registration of Electors Rules 1960) will be used,” the ECI said in a press release post a meeting attended by CEC Kumar and Election Commissioners (ECs) Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
Notably, the announcements come after The Indian Express’s Ritika Chopra reported that in the last ten months, Sandhu and Joshi formally objected for as many as 14 times to various aspects of the controversial SIR exercise.
IE report revealed that in May this year, Joshi had warned on file that Form 6 could not be changed in a manner to make it mandatory for new voters to answer their parents/ grandparents “exist” in the “electoral roll of last SIR.”
While Joshi had said that the Form 6 cannot be changed without the government amending the rules and Sandhu agreed, the change was made anyway.
Sandhu put on record on August 13 that it was “unauthorised and illegal” and “must be removed immediately”. However, the question continues to be a part of Form 6.
Post today’s meeting, the ECI also mentioned that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will visit the homes of voters who are left out of the electoral rolls to collect documents instead of calling them for hearing to Electoral Registration Officer/Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (ERO/AERO) offices adding that only in exceptional circumstances hearing will be held, preferably online.
“In case of any person to whom notice has been issued during the ongoing SIR, for being unmapped and logical discrepancies, BLOs will visit the homes of such persons for collection of documents and thereafter upload them on the ECINet, for decision by the ERO. Such persons need not be called for hearing to ERO/AERO office. Only in exceptional circumstances, as decided by the ERO, the hearing will be held preferably online. Any adult member of the family can be authorised by the elector to attend the hearing on their behalf, if required. Facilities for the online hearing to be strengthened,” the ECI said.
Further, the ECI announed that a committee headed by senior deputy election commissioner (DEC) and including an independent expert from IIT/IIIT will review the ECINET to “double-check that it complies with the provisions of the Acts and Rules and submit report to the Commission.”
This measure has been taken after the second part of IE report revealed that 97 voters in Goa successfully challenged their deletion from the draft electoral roll with the state election commission, but the commission’s software systems still failed to include them in the final electoral roll.
The ECI has also extended the period for filing claims and objections in Delhi till October 30, 2026 and the period of disposal of notices and claims and objections till November 30.
Also, as per the request received from Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Maharashtra, the period for filing claims and objections in the state has been extended till October 12, 2026 and the disposal of notices and claims and objections period in Maharashtra has been extended till November 10, 2026.
In the press release, the ECI mentioned that for all the commission’s meetings, agenda will be circulated in advance and minutes will also be issued. Besides that the commission said that the Annual Performance Appraisal Reports (APARs) of all the officers will be completed within the stipulated time frame i.e. December 31, 2026 and the approval of the commission will be taken for foreign trips by officers and all directions issued by the commissioners to the officers of the commission shall be meticulously complied with. It is unclear if these rules were not followed by the poll body till now.
