New Delhi: The Election Commission on Saturday said all orders related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) were issued after approval by all three election commissioners. It also said the changes made to Form 6, used for adding names to electoral rolls, had been upheld by the Supreme Court.
Amid the ongoing controversy over reported differences between Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, the EC said letters sent by the two commissioners to the Cabinet Secretary were not related to any policy matter or the commission’s IT department. According to the EC, the letters concerned the functioning of an officer working on deputation with the poll panel.
The statement, issued with the approval of the full commission, said work reallocation orders issued by the officer were not actually implemented following directions from the two election commissioners. It also said the Deputy Election Commissioner’s supervision of the IT department was never actually withdrawn.
EC says SIR decisions had unanimous approval
The EC said it had taken several decisions in recent months, including those related to SIR across the country. It said the SIR order issued on June 24, 2025, covering all states and Union territories, beginning with Bihar and subsequently extending to West Bengal and 30 other states/UTs, was issued with the unanimous approval of the commission.
The commission said the order was upheld by the Supreme Court through its May 27, 2026 order. It added that the SIR schedule for 12 states and UTs was issued on October 27, 2025, while the schedule for 19 states and UTs was issued on May 14, 2026, with unanimous approval of the commission.
The final number of electors will be known only after the final publication in the remaining 12 states covered under Phase III.
On Form 6, the EC said the declaration attached to the form for SIR had been upheld by the Supreme Court. For periods outside SIR, the applicable forms would be used in accordance with the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
The commission also said agendas for every EC meeting would be circulated in advance and minutes would be issued. It added that all directions issued by the commissioners to election officials would be fully complied with.
EC says Goa voters being helped to submit forms
The EC said Goa’s Chief Electoral Officer had directed the concerned Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to conduct door-to-door visits to collect forms from voters who had been left out.
Of the 97 voters mentioned in the matter, 81 had already submitted Form 6 for inclusion in the electoral rolls, according to the commission.
The EC also said people who receive notices during SIR generally do not need to appear personally for hearings, except in exceptional cases.
The commission said differences of opinion and comments were a normal part of institutional discussions, while maintaining that its orders had full legal validity and had been issued in accordance with legal procedures.
