New Delhi, September 30, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has reverted Form 6, used for voter enrolment, to its original format in states where the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has been completed, removing the additional SIR-related declaration from its ECINET application portal.
The changes took effect on September 30. However, the additional declaration will continue to be required in states where the SIR exercise is still underway. According to the ECI portal, the declaration remains available for 13 states currently undergoing the voter revision process.
Form 6 is used to apply for new voter registration. During the SIR exercise, it is also used for re-enrolment by people whose names were deleted during the enumeration phase. The additional declaration sought information to map applicants to previous electoral rolls, including historical records linked to their families.
The requirement had triggered controversy over whether the ECI could introduce such a declaration without amending the relevant rules. Election Commissioners Vivek Joshi and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu had reportedly raised objections to making it mandatory alongside Form 6.
According to reports of their dissent, the two commissioners argued that introducing changes to the form prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, was beyond the Commission’s mandate and that any such modification required an amendment by the Law Ministry.
The ECI subsequently clarified that the original statutory Form 6 had not been amended. It said a separate document, Annexure-D, had been attached to the form for use during the SIR process.
With the additional declaration now withdrawn in states where the SIR has concluded, prospective voters in those areas can apply using the standard Form 6 without providing the SIR-specific historical family mapping details. Applicants will still need to provide the required personal information and supporting documents related to age and residence.
What Triggered the Controversy
During the SIR exercise in various states, applicants seeking voter registration were asked to provide details linked to their previous electoral records or those of their parents and grandparents. The additional declaration included information intended to map applicants to earlier electoral roll entries of their families.
The issue came into focus after reports emerged that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected to making the declaration mandatory along with Form 6. Their reported objections centred on the Commission’s authority to introduce such a requirement without changes to the existing rules.
ECI’s Clarification
In a statement issued on September 26, the ECI said the declaration accompanying Form 6 would be used only during the SIR period. The Commission reiterated that Form 6 itself had not been amended and that the additional declaration had been attached separately.
The ECI also stated that the Supreme Court, in its May 27 judgment, had upheld the Commission’s authority to add the declaration. It further maintained that the orders concerning the SIR had received unanimous approval from all three Election Commissioners.
The removal of the additional declaration in states where the SIR process has been completed means that new applicants in those areas will no longer have to submit the separate SIR-related information as part of their voter enrolment applications.
FOLLOW NOW
