STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has claimed that an affidavit filed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in the Supreme Court has dispelled confusion over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, asserting that the process is entirely legal and based on unanimous decisions.
In a statement, BJP media panellist Dharma Kanta Gogoi said the affidavit had countered what he described as baseless allegations and misinformation spread by opposition parties and vested-interest groups regarding the SIR exercise.
He said the affidavit, filed in the Supreme Court on Monday, stated that the exercise was being conducted in accordance with legal provisions to maintain transparency and accuracy in the electoral process.
According to Gogoi, the affidavit had the unanimous approval of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the two other Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. He said the Commission had clarified that the SIR instructions issued in June 2025, October 2025 and May 2026 were unanimous decisions and not unilateral actions.
The BJP leader also said the ECI had clarified that Form 6, used for the registration of new voters, had not been amended. He described reports circulating in the media and on social media about changes to the form as baseless.
He added that the SIR declaration form was a separate document intended to establish a link with, or verify, an applicant's previous electoral roll entry. Following confusion over its display on the online portal, Form 6 and the declaration form had been presented as two separate sections in the online system from October 21.
Gogoi said individual suggestions or written queries submitted by Election Commissioners during internal file exchanges were only notes for consideration and did not constitute final decisions of the Commission. He described such discussions as normal in a multi-member democratic institution and accused the opposition of portraying them as internal disagreements. He further stated that the Supreme Court had, on Tuesday, given the petitioners 10 days to file a rejoinder to the Election Commission's response.
The BJP leader said the affidavit reaffirmed the ECI's commitment to maintaining a transparent, accurate and legally compliant electoral system, adding that the Commission's response had countered the opposition's allegations concerning the SIR process.
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