Overview
- The new step routes applicants through a CDAC portal for Aadhaar-linked mobile OTP verification before submitting Forms 6, 7 and 8 online.
- EC officials say the feature was developed in July–August and rolled out in the second week of September, while critics argue it followed Rahul Gandhi’s charges.
- Rahul Gandhi alleges 6,018 impersonated Form 7 deletion requests were filed in Karnataka’s Aland and asks CEC Gyanesh Kumar when evidence will be sent to the CID.
- The Election Commission reiterates that votes cannot be deleted online without due process, notes an FIR was filed in 2023, and says only 24 of the 6,018 Aland requests were valid.
- Applicants without Aadhaar may continue to file physical forms with Electoral Registration Officers or Booth Level Officers under existing procedures.