Election Commission rolls back SIR add-on in Form 6 for new voters in states where revision is complete

The Election Commission has withdrawn the additional SIR declaration from the online voter enrolment Form 6 in states where the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is complete. The requirement had drawn objections from two of the Commission's three members.

The declaration asks new applicants to furnish details linking themselves, or their parents or grandparents, to electoral rolls prepared during an earlier intensive revision. It remains available on the ECINET portal in the states and Union Territories where SIR is still on.

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Where SIR has ended, the declaration has been removed from the ECINET app and portal and from the portals of the respective Chief Electoral Officers. Applicants there will now fill only the statutory Form 6 prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.

The change comes days after a September 26 meeting of the full Commission, comprising Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.

After the meeting, the Commission stated that the declaration attached to Form 6 was meant for SIR. It added that "for non-SIR period, the Forms applicable as per Rules (the Registration of Electors Rules 1960) will be used".

Dispute over the declaration

Joshi objected to changes relating to Form 6, arguing that a form prescribed under the 1960 Rules cannot be modified without amending the Rules. Sandhu concurred. After the declaration was built into the online Form 6 process on ECINET, Sandhu objected again, describing the change as "unauthorised/illegal" and seeking its removal.

The Commission's public position is that Form 6 itself was never amended. It says the declaration was an additional SIR-specific requirement, and that the Supreme Court upheld it in its judgment on the Bihar SIR.

The September 26 decisions followed claims that Sandhu and Joshi had objected on record at least 14 times over the past 10 months to SIR decisions and orders. They said these were issued without their knowledge or recommendation. The Commission maintains that all SIR-related orders had the unanimous approval of the three Election Commissioners.

What is Form 6?

Form 6 is the statutory form eligible citizens use to apply for inclusion in the electoral roll. It is prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, framed under the Representation of the People Act, 1950.

First-time voters use it, as do people who have shifted to a new constituency and seek enrolment there. During SIR, it has also been used by people seeking re-inclusion after their names were deleted from the draft roll.

An applicant must be an Indian citizen and at least 18 years old on the qualifying date. Applicants generally submit proof of age, proof of residence and a passport-size photograph.

The form can be filed online through the Voters' Service Portal, the Voter Helpline app or ECINET, or offline with the Booth Level Officer or the Electoral Registration Officer.

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The Special Intensive Revision is a state-wide exercise in which the Commission re-verifies the electoral roll, with enumeration of existing voters and a claims and objections period.

It began with Bihar and has since been extended to other states. The declaration for new applicants was introduced during this exercise. It is largely a replica of the enumeration form given to existing voters.

What changes for applicants

• In states where SIR has concluded: New applicants no longer have to link themselves or their parents to the earlier SIR roll. They fill only the regular Form 6.
• In states where SIR is under way: The declaration stays, including during the claims and objections period.
• In states with no SIR, such as Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh: The declaration is not required.

(With inputs from PTI)