Bhubaneswar, Oct 6: The opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Monday criticised Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over changes to Form 6 during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and demanded his resignation, citing observations made by the Supreme Court.
Addressing a press conference at Sankha Bhawan, BJD general secretary Lekhashree Samantsinghar and media coordinator Lenin Mohanty alleged that the Election Commission had incorrectly suggested that the Supreme Court had approved the changes made to Form 6. On October 5, the apex court clarified that it had not approved any modified version of the voter enrolment form and sought records from the Election Commission to examine who authorised the changes.
The controversy relates to an additional declaration introduced in the online version of Form 6 during the SIR exercise. The Election Commission has maintained that the declaration was part of the SIR documentation framework, while the Supreme Court has sought further details on the changes.
Samantsinghar claimed that more than 13 crore voters had been excluded during the SIR exercise across the country and alleged that around 27.50 lakh names were removed in Odisha. These figures were cited by the BJD in raising concerns over the revision process.
She further alleged that the Election Commission had acted in favour of the BJP and made allegations concerning the deletion of voter names through the ECI’s digital systems. The allegations have not been established by the Supreme Court.
Mohanty alleged that the Election Commission’s September 26 clarification was inconsistent with the apex court’s subsequent observations. The ECI, however, has described related allegations as misleading and maintained that the SIR process and its documentation had judicial backing in the relevant context.
The BJD leaders also repeated allegations of EVM manipulation during the 2024 elections, without presenting new evidence, and reiterated party president and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik’s demand for the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
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