The ECI says Form 6 has not been changed and that SIR applicants must instead submit a separate Annexure D declaration.
The clarification follows objections from Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi over the inclusion of SIR-related questions for new voters.
The poll panel says the SIR orders, including the additional declaration requirement, were approved unanimously by the full Commission.
ECI Says SIR In Bihar, Assam Approved Unanimously: Report
The Chief Election Commissioner and both Election Commissioners had unanimously approved the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) for Bihar, the Summary Revision for Assam and SIR orders for other states and Union Territories
Summary
A day after the Election Commission of India (ECI) clarified that there had been “no change” to Form 6, an India Today report citing sources in the poll panel said that the Chief Election Commissioner and both Election Commissioners had unanimously approved the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) for Bihar, the Summary Revision for Assam and SIR orders for other states and Union Territories.
The approved SIR orders include an additional Declaration Form, or Annexure D, to be submitted alongside Form 6 by applicants seeking registration as new voters. According to the report, the requirement is based on Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and has also been upheld by the Supreme Court.
The ECI has maintained that the declaration does not alter the statutory Form 6 itself.
What Is The Dispute Over Form 6?
The clarification follows a report by The Indian Express that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected to incorporating the SIR declaration into the online Form 6.
According to the report, the two commissioners raised objections in May over changes made during the rollout of the SIR. Joshi reportedly argued that Form 6, being a statutory form, could not be changed without an amendment to the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 through the prescribed procedure.
Sandhu backed the objection and reportedly described the change as “unauthorised and illegal”, saying it “must be removed immediately”.
Former Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat and former Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa also backed the objections raised by Sandhu and Joshi in comments to India Today.
The issue centres on the requirement for applicants to provide information linking them to their parents or grandparents as part of the SIR process.
ECI Says Annexure D Is Separate From Form 6
The ECI has rejected the suggestion that it modified Form 6. It said the requirement was introduced separately through Annexure D, which is submitted alongside the existing statutory form.
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“There has been no change to Form 6. The requirement relating to linkage with parents/grandparents has been introduced as an additional declaration alongside the existing and approved Form 6,” the ECI told India Today.
The poll panel also referred to its SIR instructions issued on June 24, 2025, before the exercise began in Bihar. Those instructions said that applicants seeking registration as new electors would have to submit an additional declaration, Annexure D, along with Form 6 or Form 8.
Form 8 is used by existing voters seeking to shift their registration to another constituency.
The distinction, therefore, is between the statutory Form 6 and the additional declaration required under the SIR framework. While the contents of Form 6 remain unchanged, applicants covered by the SIR instructions are required to submit Annexure D along with the form.
The report also said that ECI sources stressed that the relevant SIR orders were approved unanimously by all three members of the Commission, including CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
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