Election Commission adds parents' SIR declaration to online Form 6

The Election Commission of India has introduced a new declaration in the online version of Form 6, the portal used by first‑time voters and others seeking fresh enrolment. Applicants must now indicate whether their own name, or that of a parent or grandparent, appeared in the last Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. If the first or second option is chosen, they must supply the assembly constituency, polling‑booth number and serial number from the earlier roll; the third option allows them to proceed without those details. The online portal will not allow submission until the section is completed, although it is not labeled mandatory.

The statutory, downloadable Form 6 remains unchanged, and no Gazette notification has been issued to amend the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, as required under the Representation of the People Act, 1950. The change comes amid a nationwide SIR exercise that has already removed more than 5.58 crore names from electoral rolls across ten states and three union territories since 2025. The EC says the additional declaration helps map electors and reduces the documents new voters must submit, but critics and UN rapporteurs have raised concerns that the requirement could create obstacles for young voters, especially where family members were deleted in the SIR.

The new declaration is visible on the ECINET portal for all states and union territories where the SIR has been completed or is underway, except for a few jurisdictions where the exercise has not been conducted. Legal experts note that only the central government can amend Form 6 after consulting the EC, and the absence of such an amendment has led to questions about the enforceability of the online requirement.