Election Commission Removes SIR Declaration From Online Form 6
<p>Election Commission removes SIR declaration from Form 6 in states where revision is over.</p>
advertisement
The Election Commission of India has removed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) declaration from the online voter enrolment Form 6 in states where the SIR process has concluded. The change applies to the ECINET portal and respective Chief Electoral Officer portals, reverting to the statutory Form 6 as prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. The SIR declaration remains in place only in states and Union Territories where the revision exercise is still ongoing.
According to The Indian Express, the Election Commission implemented this change four days after announcing that, for non-SIR periods, only the forms specified by the 1960 Rules would be used. The SIR declaration, previously inserted between Sections J and K of the online Form 6, is now absent from the ECINET portal in states where the final SIR electoral rolls have been published.
As reported by Financial Express, the additional declaration required applicants to provide details linking themselves or their family members to previous electoral rolls prepared during earlier intensive revisions. The Election Commission clarified that the declaration was an SIR-specific requirement and not a permanent amendment to Form 6.
Coverage revealed that the decision followed a meeting of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi on 26 September 2026. The Commission stated that, outside the SIR period, only the statutory forms under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, would be applicable for voter enrolment.
Objections had been raised by Election Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi regarding the addition of the SIR declaration to Form 6. The Indian Express Report revealed that both commissioners argued a statutory form could not be modified without amending the underlying rules. Sandhu described the change as “unauthorised/illegal” and called for its immediate removal to prevent obstacles for new and young voters.
“For non-SIR period, the Forms applicable as per Rules (the Registration of Electors Rules 1960) will be used,” the Election Commission stated in its official communication.
The Election Commission maintained that Form 6 itself was not amended, but the declaration was an additional requirement specific to the SIR process. Analysis showed that the declaration had been upheld by the Supreme Court in a previous judgment related to the Bihar SIR, and the Commission asserted that all SIR-related orders had unanimous approval from the full panel.
Technical changes were made to the ECINET portal to reflect the removal of the declaration. As details emerged, the declaration remains visible only in states and Union Territories where the SIR is still underway, ensuring compliance with the latest Commission directives.
The issue became a point of controversy after it was reported that the two commissioners had objected on record multiple times over the past ten months to decisions and orders on SIR. Further examination confirmed that the Commission’s public statements emphasised the temporary nature of the SIR declaration and its removal once the revision process concluded in each state.
“Applicants seeking enrolment in these states will now have to fill only the statutory Form 6 prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960,” the Commission clarified.
In summary, the Election Commission’s removal of the SIR declaration from Form 6 in relevant states follows internal objections, legal scrutiny, and technical updates to the ECINET portal, with the statutory form now restored for new voter registrations where SIR is not active.
Note: This article is produced using AI-assisted tools and is based on publicly available information. It has been reviewed by The Quint's editorial team before publishing.