Bhubaneswar, Oct 5 — 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, citing observations made by the Supreme Court.
Addressing a press conference at Sankha Bhawan here, BJD general secretary Lekhashree Samantsinghar and media coordinator Lenin Mohanty alleged that the Supreme Court on Monday rejected the clarification issued by the Election Commission, which claimed through a notification that the changes made to Form 6 had been carried out with the court’s permission.
The BJD leaders said the Chief Justice of India had clarified that the Election Commission did not have the authority to amend Form 6 during the SIR process.
They also said the Supreme Court had issued notices to the Centre and the Election Commission.
Samantsinghar alleged that around 13 crore voters across the country and approximately 27.50 lakh voters in Odisha had been excluded during the SIR process.
She further alleged that the Chief Election Commissioner was working in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to help the party win elections.
Samantsinghar also alleged that Seema Khanna, head of the Election Commission of India’s IT department, had deleted voters’ names from electoral rolls through ECI Net.
The BJD leader claimed that the Election Commission’s September 26 press release, which stated that changes to Form 6 and ECI Net had the Supreme Court’s permission, was contradicted by the court’s observations.
Mohanty alleged that the Election Commission’s clarification was not based on facts and accused the poll panel of acting in favour of the BJP.
He also alleged that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were tampered with during the 2024 elections to ensure a BJP victory.
The BJD leaders reiterated party president and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik’s demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
They said the Election Commission must retain public confidence as a constitutional institution.