- Party Claims Election Commission’s Affidavit in Supreme Court Clears Confusion Over Revision Process

Guwahati, 27 October (HS): The Assam unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has asserted that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is entirely legal and based on unanimous decisions, claiming that the affidavit filed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) in the Supreme Court has clarified the issues surrounding the process.

In a statement on Tuesday, the state BJP alleged that opposition parties and vested interests had been spreading misleading information and making baseless allegations about the SIR exercise. The party maintained that the Election Commission had clarified in its affidavit that the process was being conducted in accordance with the applicable legal provisions to ensure transparency and accuracy in elections.

According to the BJP, the affidavit carries the unanimous approval of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. It stated that the SIR-related instructions issued in June 2025, October 2025 and May 2026 were unanimous decisions of all three members of the Commission, contrary to allegations of differences within the institution.

The party also cited the affidavit to assert that no changes had been made to statutory Form 6, which is used for the registration of new voters. It described reports suggesting modifications to the form as baseless and misleading.

The statement further clarified that the SIR declaration form is a separate document intended to establish a link with an applicant’s previous electoral roll entry. Following confusion over its presentation on the online portal, Form 6 and the declaration form were displayed as separate components from October 21, the party said.

The BJP added that individual suggestions, notes or queries exchanged by election commissioners during internal file processing should not be confused with the Commission’s final decisions, describing such discussions as normal in a multi-member institution.

The party said the Supreme Court had, on October 27, granted the petitioners 10 days to file a rejoinder to the Election Commission’s affidavit. The BJP maintained that the Commission’s submission had clarified its position on the legality and unanimous nature of the SIR process.------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash