EC changes Form 6 for new voters without amendment to rules; seeks SIR details of parents
The Election Commission of India has introduced a new, un-amended declaration section in Form 6 for voter registration that requires applicants to provide details about their parents' status in the last Special Intensive Revision. This change has raised concerns regarding transparency and potential impacts on voter eligibility, particularly following large-scale deletions in states like West Bengal.
Why it matters
Changes to electoral registration processes without formal rule amendments raise significant questions about democratic transparency and the potential disenfranchisement of voters.
For the first time, the Election Commission’s online version of the electors’ registration form, known as Form 6, has a new section that seeks the status of the applicant’s parents vis-a vis the last Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, even though the statutory form itself has not been amended, The Indian Express has learnt. This comes when over 5.58 crore names have been deleted from electoral rolls in 10 states and three UTs in the EC’s SIR that began last year, raising questions about the potential impact on their children. In the case of West Bengal, which saw an unprecedented process playout, over 27 lakh electors were deleted during adjudication and were unable to vote in the April elections while their appeals remain pending before tribunals.
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