Form 6 Change Sparks Row as Election Commissioners Flag 'Illegal' Edit

A seemingly small change to Form 6, the document used by first-time voters to register, has snowballed into a major controversy for the Election Commission.

In July 2026, the online version of the form on the poll body's ECINet portal was modified to add a new declaration. Two Election Commissioners, Vivek Joshi and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, had objected to the change, describing it as "illegal" and "unauthorised" and seeking its immediate revocation in the interest of new voters. The Commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, went ahead with the modification.

What Form 6 Does

Form 6 is the prescribed application for anyone seeking to be enrolled as a voter in India. It is available on the Election Commission's website and collects personal details, a photograph, proof of age and proof of address. The form is laid down under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.

The Change and the Objection

The revised online form now carries questions linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Applicants must pick one of three statements: that their name appeared on an electoral roll during the last SIR held in the early 2000s; that a parent's or grandparent's name did; or that neither they nor their parents appeared on it. The form cannot be completed online without answering.

In several states the last SIR was conducted in the early 2000s, while others completed one only last year or this year.

Joshi and Sandhu argued on record that because Form 6 forms part of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, it can be altered only through a formal government notification and an amendment to the rules, not by editing the online form. Under Section 28 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the Centre frames and amends these rules after consulting the Election Commission, and any amendment must be laid before Parliament and notified in the Gazette. The two Commissioners suggested the matter be referred to the government.

The objections were raised in May, but the change was introduced in July. Responding to the report of the disagreement, the Election Commission said on Wednesday that differences among Commissioners during internal deliberations are part of the standard decision-making process, and that all decisions of the full Commission over the past year had been unanimous.

Why It Matters for New Voters

Eligibility to vote rests on factors such as age, citizenship and ordinary residence, not on whether a person's parents figured on a previous electoral roll. During the ongoing SIR, nearly 13 crore names have been removed from electoral rolls across states and Union Territories. Many are said to be dead voters, people who relocated, or duplicate entries, but a large number are contesting their exclusion.

The new question has raised concerns about young people enrolling for the first time. An 18-year-old whose parents or grandparents did not appear on the relevant previous SIR roll cannot select the first two options. The form also does not explain the consequences of choosing the third option, "Neither". Critics argue the question assumes families can produce documentary links across two generations, which could disproportionately affect migrants, poorer households and those who have moved between states.

A Declaration That May Not Fit

Many of the roughly 13 crore people dropped from draft rolls under the SIR, which began in Bihar in June 2025, are being asked to use Form 6 to get their names restored. But the form carries a mandatory declaration that the applicant is seeking inclusion in an electoral roll for the first time and is not listed in any Assembly or Parliamentary constituency. A deleted voter seeking re-inclusion would, by definition, have already been on the rolls, so signing the declaration could amount to attesting to something factually incorrect. Under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, knowingly making a false declaration in connection with electoral rolls is punishable with imprisonment of up to one year, a fine, or both.