Inside The Form 6 SIR Row: Why The Declaration Was Added And Dropped

The Election Commission has removed the additional Special Intensive Revision (SIR) declaration from the online voter enrolment Form 6 in states where the revision process has been completed.

The declaration, which was added during the SIR process, continue to remain part of the online application process in states and Union Territories where the revision exercise is still underway.

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

The removal 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 in Form 6, calling them 'unauthorised' while arguing that changes to a statutory form required an amendment to the underlying rules.

What Changed In Form 6?

Form 6 is the statutory form used by eligible citizens to apply for inclusion in electoral rolls.

During the SIR process, an additional declaration was attached to the online version of Form 6. It required new applicants to provide details about whether their names, or those of their parents or grandparents, appeared in electoral rolls prepared during an earlier intensive revision.

Applicants were also required to provide details such as the Assembly constituency number, polling booth number and serial number linked to the earlier electoral roll.

These details were not part of the original Form 6 prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.

Following the latest change, applicants in states where SIR has concluded will now fill only the statutory Form 6 without the additional declaration.

The declaration, however, remains available on the ECINET portal and Chief Electoral Officer portals in states and Union Territories where SIR is ongoing.

Why Was The Declaration Added?

The Election Commission has maintained that the declaration was an SIR-specific requirement and not an amendment to Form 6 itself.

According to the Commission, the additional information was introduced during SIR to help verify voter eligibility and improve the accuracy of electoral rolls.

The EC has also said that the declaration attached to Form 6 and Form 8 during SIR was approved by the full three-member Commission and was upheld by the Supreme Court in its judgment on the Bihar SIR.

An EC official told NDTV, “Form 6 was essentially never changed. During SIR an additional declaration regarding parents was sought. After Saturday's meeting it was decided that in non-SIR states it would not be sought.”

What's The Controversy?

The controversy centred on whether the Election Commission could add requirements to a form prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, without a formal amendment.

According to reports, Election Commissioner Vivek Joshi objected that a statutory form could not be modified without changing the rules. Election Commissioner Sukhbir Singh Sandhu later concurred with the objection and described the change as “illegal”.

Form 6 is linked to the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, which are framed under the Representation of the People Act, 1950. Amendments to these rules can be made by the Union government through the Ministry of Law and Justice.

The Election Commission, however, has maintained that there was no amendment to Form 6 and that only an additional declaration was added for the SIR period.