EC Removes Form 6 Change Amid Pressure Over SIR Row

The Election Commission on Wednesday night removed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) declaration added to the online version of Form 6, the statutory form used for new voter registration, in states where the SIR process has been completed.

The move came four days after the EC clarified that “for non-SIR period, the Forms applicable as per Rules (the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960) will be used”.

On Wednesday night, the declaration was not available at the ECINET portal in states where final SIR electoral rolls have already been published. However, it continues to appear in states where the revision exercise is still underway, The Indian Express reported.

The change follows a report by The Indian Express that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections over the addition of the declaration reportedly calling the changes "illegal" after it was introduced in the online Form 6 without an amendment to the statutory form.

Form 6 is part of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. Under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, amendments to these rules can only be made by the Union government through the Ministry of Law and Justice.

Changes In Form 6 During SIR In Bihar

The Election Commission introduced a separate declaration along with Form 6 during the first phase of SIR in Bihar in 2025.

In Bihar, the declaration focused on establishing the date and place of birth of applicants and the documents required based on their year of birth, The Hindu reported.

Applicants born before July 1, 1987, were required to submit their own documents. Those born between July 1, 1987 and December 2, 2004, needed their own documents along with one parent’s document. Applicants born after December 2, 2004, were required to submit documents for themselves and both parents.

In later phases of SIR, the declaration format changed. New voters applying through Form 6 were required to state whether their names or their parents’ names appeared in the last SIR electoral rolls.

Applicants were also asked to provide details such as the Assembly constituency number, polling booth number and serial number where the names appeared in the previous revision.

On the ECINET portal, applicants who did not have this information could select an alternative option. However, the field was not marked mandatory, applicants were unable to complete online submission without filling it.

EC's Clarification

The Election Commission has said the authority to introduce the declaration was upheld by the Supreme Court on May 27.

The issue was raised by Election Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi in separate notes and letters in May and August 2026, according to the earlier report.

The EC has now removed the declaration from ECINET for states where the SIR process has concluded, while retaining it in states where the exercise remains ongoing.