Election Commission Removes Additional SIR Declaration from Online Form 6 in States Where Revision Process Is Complete

The Election Commission of India has removed the additional SIR-related declaration from the online Form 6 in states where the Special Intensive Revision process is complete, restoring the standard statutory form for voter registration. The change follows a September 26 full Commission meeting and comes amid reports of internal disagreements among Election Commissioners over SIR-related procedural decisions.

Following debate over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls, the Election Commission has withdrawn the supplementary SIR declaration field from the online Form 6 portal in those states and Union Territories where the revision exercise has concluded. The Commission subsequently clarified that the obligation would be limited to the duration of the SIR process. Where the SIR process has been finalised, the supplementary declaration has been withdrawn from the ECINET application and portal, as well as from the relevant Chief Electoral Officer platforms. Those residing in the relevant states are now required to submit only the statutory Form 6 prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, when seeking addition to the electoral roll. Where the SIR process has yet to be completed, the supplementary declaration option remains accessible through the ECINET portal. Under the declaration, those seeking to apply must submit documentation connecting themselves, their parents, or grandparents to voter registers compiled during a prior intensive revision period. The decision followed a plenary session on 26 September attended by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar alongside Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. Following the meeting, the Commission clarified that the supplementary declaration appended to Form 6 had been intended exclusively for SIR. The statement further clarified that voter registration documentation outside the SIR window would follow the formats established under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. The ruling followed a broadcast by a news outlet indicating that Sandhu and Joshi had formally raised objections at least 14 times over the preceding ten months regarding decisions and orders connected to the SIR. A number of those rulings, they noted, had been issued without prior consultation or any formal recommendation on their part. The ECI's statement noted that all three Election Commissioners had given unanimous approval to the directives concerning the SIR. Qualified residents seeking a place on the electoral roll must submit the prescribed Form 6 as required by law. Modifications to the form had previously drawn objections from Election Commissioner Joshi. Following the addition of the SIR-related declaration to the online Form 6 procedure on ECINET, Sandhu lodged a further objection, characterising the amendment as lacking proper authorisation and calling for it to be withdrawn. In official communications, the Election Commission clarified that Form 6 had not been altered, with the declaration serving as a separate requirement introduced specifically for the Special Intensive Revision process.

Election Commission Removes Additional SIR Declaration from Online Form 6 in States Where Revision Process Is Complete

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Election Commission Removes Additional SIR Declaration from Online Form 6 in States Where Revision Process Is Complete

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