Election Commission Removes SIR Declaration from Form 6 in Most States
What Happened
The Election Commission of India has removed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)-linked declaration from the online Form 6 voter enrolment process in states and Union Territories where the electoral roll revision exercise has been completed. Applicants in these states will now use only the standard Form 6 prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. The additional declaration remains in place only where SIR is currently underway. The removed declaration had required new applicants to provide details linking themselves, their parents, or grandparents to electoral rolls prepared during an earlier SIR exercise.
Key Takeaways
The move eases voter registration in states where SIR has concluded and addresses a controversial issue that had triggered objections from Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi> regarding changes to Form 6. The EC maintains that the declaration was only an SIR-specific requirement and not a formal amendment to Form 6.