ECI removes extra SIR declaration from Form 6 in states where revision is complete

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has withdrawn the additional Special Intensive Revision (SIR) declaration attached to the online Form 6 application in states and Union territories where the electoral roll revision exercise has been completed.

The additional declaration has been removed from the ECINET application and portal, as well as the respective Chief Electoral Officer websites, in these states and UTs. Applicants seeking fresh enrolment in the electoral rolls will now need to submit the statutory Form 6 prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.

The move follows the Election Commission's September 26 decision to clarify that the additional declaration attached to Form 6 would apply during the SIR period, while forms prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, would be used outside the exercise.

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What is Form 6?

Form 6 is the statutory application used by eligible citizens to seek inclusion in the electoral roll as new voters. It is prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, which govern the preparation and revision of electoral rolls.

Why Form 6 became a point of contention

The additional declaration had become a contentious issue within the poll panel. Election Commissioners Vivek Joshi and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu had raised objections to changes concerning Form 6, according to a report by the Indian Express.

Joshi had argued that Form 6, being a statutory form prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, could not be modified without amending the rules. Sandhu subsequently endorsed the objection.

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The ECI, meanwhile, maintained that the declaration was introduced as part of the SIR process and said the requirement had been upheld by the Supreme Court. On September 26, the Commission clarified that the additional declaration would apply during SIR, while the statutory forms under the 1960 rules would be used during non-SIR periods.