EC drops SIR declaration from online Form 6 in states where roll revision is over

The Election Commission has removed the special intensive revision (SIR) declaration that had been added to Form 6, the statutory voter enrolment form, from its ECINET application portal in states where the revision exercise has concluded.

The change was made on Wednesday night, four days after the Commission announced its decision on the matter. On September 26, the poll body had said that for the non-SIR period, the forms applicable under the rules — the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 — would be used.

The declaration had been inserted in the online Form 6 between Sections J and K. It can only be amended by the Union Law Ministry.

Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had earlier raised objections to the addition of the declaration to the form.

As of Wednesday night, the ECINET portal no longer displayed the declaration for states where the final SIR electoral rolls have been published. The clause continues to appear for states where the SIR process is still under way.