Jairam Ramesh Calls ECI's Form-6 Clarification 'Word Games' Demands Halt To SIR

(MENAFN- IANS) New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS) Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday sharply criticised the Election Commission of India's latest clarification on Form-6, terming it another set of“word games” that clarify nothing and expose how poorly designed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process is.

In a post on X, Ramesh said each damage-control attempt by the ECI only highlights the flaws in the SIR exercise.

He pointed out that Form-6 clearly asks applicants whether they are“applying for inclusion for the first time.”

According to him, the ECI's clarification that voters seeking re-inclusion during SIR can also be treated as first-time applicants is a“deceptive word” game aimed at covering up a flawed process that forces voters to make a false declaration. Ramesh further alleged that after asking voters to sign such a declaration, the Commission is now offering them protection from legal consequences after the fact.

This, he said, shows how poorly thought through the entire SIR process has been. The Congress leader noted that the Chief Electoral Officer of Maharashtra had written to the ECI arguing that Form-6 cannot be used in this manner.

He also referred to an ongoing case before the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court, where the court has questioned the logic put forward by the ECI, particularly as it leaves out absent and shifted voters. Ramesh asserted that the ECI cannot address the real problem - that the SIR is designed for exclusion.

“It deletes voters first, and then asks them to apply for re-inclusion as new voters,” he said.

He maintained that no amount of damage control can fix this fundamentally flawed process and demanded that the Special Intensive Revision be stopped.

The remarks come after the Election Commission issued a clarification stating that previous electors whose names do not appear in the draft electoral rolls can submit Form-6 without fear of prosecution under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.

The Commission had said that such submission is for inclusion under the SIR process and is not false merely because the elector was previously enrolled. Ramesh's statement reflects the Opposition's continued criticism of the ongoing SIR exercise across several states.

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