ECI delinks Form 6 from SIR declaration

New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has implemented its decision to completely de-link the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) declaration from online Form 6 across all states, including those where the revision exercise is still underway.

The decision, which was disclosed by the poll body in a counter-affidavit before the Supreme Court on October 26, was implemented on the ECINet portal on November 4–5. The move follows concerns raised by two Election Commissioners over the insertion of the SIR declaration into Form 6. Under the revised arrangement, applicants will now have to submit the declaration separately instead of filling it out as part of the online application used to seek inclusion in the electoral roll.

The declaration had already been removed from Form 6 in states where the SIR exercise had been completed. The latest implementation extends the separation to states where the revision process is still underway.

The issue dates back to May 16, when Election Commissioner Vivek Joshi objected to the insertion of the SIR declaration into Form 6 without a formal amendment. On August 13, Election Commissioner Sukhbir Singh Sandhu also described the change as unauthorised and illegal.

On September 26, the full Commission had decided that the declaration would remain applicable in states where the SIR was underway but would be removed from Form 6 in states where the exercise had concluded.

Subsequently, on October 21, the ECI’s Electoral Roll Division decided to separate Form 6 and the SIR declaration in the online application process. The Commission disclosed this decision in its counter-affidavit before the Supreme Court on October 26, before implementing the change across states in early November. The development comes amid sustained protests by Opposition parties against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the SIR exercise.

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