Punjab Congress Denies Consent to SIR, Calls Amended Form 6 'Illegal'ਪੰਜਾਬ ਕਾਂਗਰਸ ਦਾ ਦਾਅਵਾ: SIR ਲਈ ਸਹਿਮਤੀ ਨਹੀਂ ਦਿੱਤੀ, ਫਾਰਮ 6 'ਗੈਰ-ਕਾਨੂੰਨੀ'

Punjab Congress president Pargat Singh said on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, that his party never gave consent to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, directly contradicting Chief Electoral Officer Anindita Mitra's claim that all parties cooperated. He called the amended Form 6 "totally illegal" and questioned the deletion of more than 13 lakh voters.

What did the Punjab Congress say?

At a news conference, Pargat said Congress had not given written consent. Party coordinator Hardeep Singh Kingra, who oversaw the SIR for Congress, said no consent was given "in writing or otherwise". He said participants at CEO meetings sign attendance sheets, not approvals, and that he had raised written objections about possible data manipulation at the Election Commission level.

What is the dispute over Form 6?

Pargat argued the amended Form 6 was neither directed by the Supreme Court nor amended by Parliament. A petition in the Supreme Court also challenges the requirement that people deleted during SIR fill Form 6, which asks applicants to declare they are enrolling for the first time. Mitra has said left-out voters can use Form 6, including at special camps.

What does the CEO say?

Mitra said parties across the spectrum took a positive approach. Representatives of Congress, SAD, BJP and AAP praised her handling of the exercise on Monday. Congress and AAP leaders later said their praise was for the process in Punjab, not an endorsement of the wider SIR. Kingra said he praised the CEO's responsiveness, not the SIR.

How many voters were removed?

The final roll published on 12 October has 2,01,00,727 voters, down 13,60,316 (6.33 per cent) from 2,14,61,043 before SIR, though up 3.64 per cent on the draft roll of 13 August. See our earlier report on the final roll.

Did Congress give consent to the Punjab SIR?

Pargat Singh and Hardeep Singh Kingra say no. The CEO says parties cooperated and gave support.

What is Form 6?

It is the form used to apply for inclusion in the electoral roll. Congress says the amended version is illegal.

How many names were deleted in Punjab?

The final roll is 13,60,316 voters smaller than the pre-SIR list, per PTI.