The Election Commission of India has removed the additional declaration linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) from the online Form 6 in states and Union Territories where the electoral-roll revision exercise has been completed. New applicants in these areas will now have to submit the statutory Form 6 prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
The additional declaration had required applicants to provide details establishing a link between themselves, their parents or grandparents and electoral rolls prepared during an earlier intensive revision. The requirement, however, continues to remain on the ECINET portal in states and UTs where SIR is still underway. The Election Commission has clarified that the declaration was specifically intended for the SIR exercise and that the forms prescribed under the 1960 Rules would be used during the non-SIR period.
The change follows a September 26 meeting of the full Commission comprising Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. The issue had drawn attention after Sandhu and Joshi raised objections to the additional requirement, with Joshi arguing that the statutory Form 6 could not be altered without an amendment to the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. Sandhu supported the objection. The EC, meanwhile, maintained that Form 6 itself had not been amended and that the additional declaration was a separate requirement specifically for the SIR process.