The Election Commission (EC) has decided to retract an additional declaration related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) from the online voter enrolment Form 6. This action follows significant criticism over what has been described as “illegal” alterations to existing procedures. Reports indicate that the issue gained traction after an article in The Indian Express highlighted formal objections raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi against decisions made over the last ten months concerning the SIR.

The commission clarified that no legal modifications were made to the original Form 6, which eligible citizens must use to apply for inclusion in the electoral roll. The extra declaration had mandated new applicants to provide links to the electoral rolls of their parents or grandparents from earlier revisions, which has now been eliminated in states where the SIR process is complete.

Details of the Announcement

This change was officially announced following a September 26 meeting between Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the aforementioned Election Commissioners. The commission asserted that the declaration was intended exclusively for the SIR period. During times when the SIR is not in effect, forms compliant with the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 will be utilised instead.

This announcement means that in states where the SIR has been concluded, applicants will solely complete the statutory Form 6 without the added declaration. However, in regions where the SIR is still active, the additional requirement remains in place. This development is expected to simplify the enrolment process for new voters in those areas.

In discussions regarding the alterations, it was revealed that both Joshi and Sandhu had raised concerns about modifications to Form 6, arguing that changes to such a format must be formally sanctioned through amendments to the existing rules. The Election Commission has stood firm, asserting that the declaration did not constitute a direct alteration to Form 6 itself but rather a temporary addition specific to the SIR process.

Differences in the Form During SIR

During the SIR process, completing Form 6 entailed additional requirements not included in the original version of the form. Applicants were asked to confirm whether their names or those of their parents or grandparents had appeared on electoral rolls from previous SIRs conducted in the early 2000s. This included mandatory input related to constituency and polling booth information, which was previously unnecessary.

The obligation to provide details such as family constituency numbers and polling booth identifiers has been particularly challenging for younger voters born after the 2000s and for those whose names were removed from the electoral rolls but are now seeking to re-register. In contrast, the original Form 6 allowed new voters to register without any additional obligations related to familial electoral history, thus streamlining the process considerably for many applicants.

The Election Commission indicated that the additional declaration was designed specifically to improve the integrity and accuracy of electoral rolls by preventing fraudulent applications. With the reversion to the traditional Form 6 in non-SIR states, new voters will no longer face the complications linked to family documentation, allowing for a more straightforward registration process.

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